FREE ESSAY ON CATATONIC SCHIZOPHRENIA

CATATONIC SCHIZOPHRENIA

Catatonic Schizophrenia
The most uncommon subtype of schizophrenia is catatonia. Although this kind of mental
disorder is the rarest of the schizophrenias, it is perhaps the most disturbing to the
people inflicted with the illness, and also to the families and friends who encounter the
devastating disorder. Whereas paranoid and unorganized schizophrenia are disorders that
effect mainly thought and speech behavior, catatonic schizophrenia not only disables
speech and thought processes, but it is also a physically disabling illness. Catatonic
schizophrenics experience many of the same symptoms as the other types, especially
loosely attached thought and speech patterns and paranoia. Added to these symptoms,
catatonic schizophrenics also experience extreme shifts between excited and withdrawn,
stuporous motor behavior. These opposing states of physical activity, and the pronounced
motor gestures are what characterize catatonic schizophrenia.
In one experiment involving 250 patients, all with catatonic schizophrenia, 110 fall into
the predominantly withdrawn class, 67 experience primarily excited symptoms, and 73 are
considered mixed between behaving stuporous and excited (Morrison 1973).
The most common state of catatonia, stupor, is characterized by a loss of all animation,
and motionless, rigid, unchanging positions. People in a catatonic stupor will become
sometimes become mute and stare into space, remaining still for sometimes hours or days,
even until the hands and feet become blue and swollen (Carson, et al. 454). Trying to
awaken a patient out of a catatonic stupor is virtually useless. Usually he or she will
not acknowledge their surroundings, and will not respond to stimuli. Although during the
stupor seems to be completely out there and unconnected to reality, some patients can
even retell the accounts of the stupor and the reason, and what they were thinking at the
time. One patient who remained motionless with one hand froze in the air, parallel to the
ground, came out of the stupor explaining that the forces of the world were battling on
the back of his hand. He was deathly afraid that if he tilted his hand he would give the
evil force an unfair advantage (Carson, et al. 454).
Some withdrawn patients are highly susceptible to suggestion and will obey commands or
imitate actions, a condition known as echopraxia, or mimic phrases, also known as
echolalia. Ordinarily, patients in a catatonic stupor will refuse to comply with even the
slightest request and pay no attention to bowel or bladder control. Facial expressions
are typically vacant, and skin texture appears waxy.
Schizophrenic patients with catatonia may suddenly switch from states of extreme
withdrawn behavior to great excitement. During these episodes, they appear to be under
great pressure to be active. Some patients become somewhat aggressive during this state.
They tend to talk or shout excitedly and incoherently, pacing back and forth. It is not
uncommon for patients to openly indulge in sexual activities, attempt self-mutilation or
even suicide. The uncontrollable frenzy of these attacks make such patients dangerous to
both themselves and others. Fortunately, these excited episodes are extremely rare and
typically only last a few minutes or hours. However, cases have shown that a days' or
weeks' endurance is not altogether impossible.