Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffSigns and symptoms of catatonic schizophrenia fall into several categories of catatonic behaviors, including:
- Physical immobility. You may be completely unable to move or speak, or you may stare, hold your body in a rigid position and seem to be unaware of your surroundings (catatonic stupor). You also may have a form of immobility known as waxy flexibility. For example, if your arm is moved into a certain position, it will stay in that position for hours.
- Excessive mobility. Rather than being unable to move, you may move in an excited manner that appears to have no purpose. You may pace in a frenzy, turn in circles, flail your arms or make loud noises.
- Extreme resistance. You may not respond to instructions, may resist any attempt to be moved or may not speak at all.
- Peculiar movements. You may have inappropriate or unusual postures, grimace for long periods or adopt unusual mannerisms. You may also have habits known as stereotyped behaviors, which can include repeating words, obsessively following a routine, or always arranging objects exactly the same way.
- Mimicking speech or movement. You may repeatedly say a word just spoken by someone else (echolalia) or repeatedly copy a gesture or movement made by someone else (echopraxia).
Other signs and symptoms of catatonic schizophrenia
Although the main symptoms of catatonic schizophrenia are catatonic behaviors, you may also have some of the other common signs and symptoms of schizophrenia, such as:
- Having beliefs not based on reality (delusions)
- Seeing or hearing things that don't exist (hallucinations), especially voices
- Incoherent speech
- Neglect of personal hygiene
- Lack of emotions
- Emotions inappropriate to the situation
- Angry outbursts
- Trouble functioning at school or work
- Social isolation
- Clumsy, uncoordinated movements
It's unlikely that you'll come out of a catatonic episode on your own. Catatonic episodes can last just minutes or even for days or weeks without effective treatment.
When to see a doctor
If you have any symptoms of catatonic schizophrenia, you may not be able to seek medical help on your own. And during periods when your symptoms subside, you may not believe you need treatment. Family and friends, or people at work or school, may be the ones who initially suggest you seek help, or you may be taken to the hospital by emergency personnel.
If you're reluctant to seek treatment, try to work up the courage to confide in someone, whether it's a friend or loved one, a health care professional, a faith leader or someone else you trust. He or she can help you take the first steps to successful treatment.
Helping someone who may have catatonic schizophrenia
If you have a loved one you think may have symptoms of catatonic schizophrenia, have an open and honest discussion about your concerns, if possible. You may not be able to force someone to seek professional help, but you can offer encouragement and support and help your loved one find a qualified doctor or mental health provider. If you find a loved one unresponsive or in an apparent catatonic state, contact your local emergency services or take him or her to a hospital. In some cases, emergency hospitalization may be needed. Laws on involuntary commitment for mental health treatment vary by state.
- Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders: Catatonic type. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Oct. 30, 2008.
- Minzenberg MJ, et al. Schizophrenia. In: Hales RE, et al, eds. The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry. 5th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Publishing Inc.; 2008. www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Oct. 7, 2008.
- Schizophrenia. National Institute of Mental Health. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophrenia/complete-publication.shtml. Accessed Oct. 27, 2008.
- Jibson MD, et al. Schizophrenia and related disorders. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 1, 2008.
- Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders: Schizophrenia. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. 4th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Oct. 30, 2008.
- Dyer JG, et al. Update on early intervention in schizophrenia. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing. 2008;46:19.
- Turkington D, et al. Cognitive behavior therapy for schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2006;163:365.
- Treating schizophrenia. A quick reference guide. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Dec. 9, 2008.
- Schultz SH, et al. Schizophrenia: A review. American Family Physician. 2007;75:1821.
- Fink M, et al. Editorial: Catatonia: Subtype or syndrome in DSM? American Journal of Psychiatry. 2006;163:1876.
- Hall-Flavin DK (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 10, 2008.
- Treatment of patients with schizophrenia, 2nd ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Dec. 9, 2008.
