Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2006 Sep 7:5:14.
doi: 10.1186/1744-859X-5-14.

The catatonic dilemma expanded

Heath R Penland  1 , Natalie Weder, Rajesh R Tampi
Affiliations

The catatonic dilemma expanded

Heath R Penland et al. Ann Gen Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Catatonia is a common syndrome that was first described in the literature by Karl Kahlbaum in 1874. The literature is still developing and remains unclear on many issues, especially classification, diagnosis, and pathophysiology. Clinicians caring for psychiatric patients with catatonic syndromes continue to face many dilemmas in diagnosis and treatment. We discuss many of the common problems encountered in the care of a catatonic patient, and discuss each problem with a review of the literature. Focus is on practical aspects of classification, epidemiology, differential diagnosis, treatment, medical comorbidity, cognition, emotion, prognosis, and areas for future research in catatonic syndromes.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Brenner I, Rheuban WJ. The catatonic dilemma. Am J Psychiatry. 1978;135:1242–1243. - PubMed
    1. Taylor MA, Fink M. Catatonia in psychiatric classification: a home of its own. Am J Psychiatry. 2003;160:1233–1241. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.160.7.1233. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Morrison JR. Karl Kahlbaum and catatonia. Compr Psychiatry. 1974;15:315–316. doi: 10.1016/0010-440X(74)90052-2. - DOI - PubMed
    1. American Psychiatric Association . Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, text revision: DSM-IV TR. 4. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association Press; 2000.
    1. Fink M, Taylor MA. The many varieties of catatonia. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2001;251:s8–13. doi: 10.1007/PL00014200. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources