Given the high morbidity and mortality associated with malignant catatonia, intensivists should familiarize themselves with this important and under-recognized condition.Ĭatatonia critical illness delirium multidisciplinary critical care. Prompt recognition and treatment of catatonia are crucial because malignant catatonia may be fatal without treatment. Use the correct term when describing a specific condition or symptom, and clarify if necessary. Here are some tips to keep in mind: Learn the symptoms and causes of cataplexy and catatonia, and how they differ from each other. However, some forms of catatonia, such as catatonia secondary to a general medical condition or catatonia comorbid with delirium, may be less responsive to traditional treatments. To avoid confusing cataplexy and catatonia, it’s essential to understand their definitions and contexts. Catatonia typically improves with benzodiazepines and treatment of its underlying psychiatric or medical conditions, with electroconvulsive therapy reserved for catatonia refractory to benzodiazepines or for malignant catatonia. Many of the established predisposing and precipitating factors for catatonia such as exposure to neuroleptic medications or withdrawal states are common in the setting of critical illness. It is a life-threatening form of acute brain dysfunction that has several motoric manifestations and occurs secondary to a primary psychiatric condition or a medical cause. Malignant catatonia describes catatonia that presents with clinically significant autonomic abnormalities including change in temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate. Importantly, it can co-occur with delirium or coma. Catatonia can occur in the setting of a primary psychiatric condition such as bipolar disorder or secondary to a general medical illness like autoimmune encephalitis. If catatonia is associated with a systemic medical or neurologic condition, there must be evidence to support this from the.

The clinical picture of catatonia ranges from akinetic stupor to severe motoric excitement. According to the DSM-5, criteria for catatonia include 3 out of 12 features: stupor, cataplexy, waxy flexibility, mutism, negativism, posturing, mannerisms, stereotypy, agitation, grimacing, echolalia, echopraxia. Catatonia is a clinical syndrome characterized by psychomotor, neurological and behavioral changes.

Catatonia vs cataplexy