A case study on attenuated forms of catatonic symptoms in schizophrenia: relevance of early intervention with electroconvulsive therapy

Abstract

Catatonia is a well-known entity in psychiatry, which is predominantly a syndrome of motor dysregulation 1 . The prevalence of catatonia among patients with psychiatric illness varies.Catatonic symptoms are seen beyond schizophrenia and have wide varieties of presentation 2 . Several medical, including neurological disorders, present with symptoms of catatonia too.The pathophysiology of catatonia is complex and mainly involves neurotransmitters like GABA and glutamate 3 . The treatment of catatonia is primarily dependent on benzodiazepines or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) 2,4 . Medications are the first-line treatment in the management of catatonia. It is often difficult to predict- Which individual with catatonia will respond to benzodiazepines?Which catatonic symptoms will respond to benzodiazepines?