Catatonia is a severe motor syndrome with an estimated prevalence among psychiatric inpatients of about 10%. At times, it is life-threatening especially in its malignant form when complicated by fever and autonomic disturbances. Catatonia can accompany many different psychiatric illnesses and somatic diseases. In order to recognize the catatonic syndrome, apart from thorough and repeated observation, a clinical examination is needed. A screening instrument, such as the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale, can guide the clinician through the neuropsychiatric examination. Although severe and life-threatening, catatonia has a good prognosis. Research on the treatment of catatonia is scarce, but there is overwhelming clinical evidence of the efficacy of benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam, and electroconvulsive therapy.

Self-reported auditory hallucinations in adolescents are markers of concurrent and future psychiatric impairment due to non-psychotic Axis 1 disorders and possibly Axis 2 disorders. It cannot be excluded that there was selective attrition of children and adolescents who developed Schizophrenic or other psychotic disorders later in life.

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We concluded that catatonia is under recognized and undertreated among children and adolescents receiving psychiatric treatment.