Noun: catatonia ,ka-tu'tow-nee-u
- A form of schizophrenia characterized by a tendency to remain in a fixed stuporous state for long periods; the catatonia may give way to short periods of extreme excitement
"During his catatonia episodes, he would remain motionless for hours, followed by brief periods of frenzied activity";
- catatonic schizophrenia, catatonic type schizophrenia
- Extreme tonus; muscular rigidity; a common symptom in catatonic schizophrenia
"The patient's catatonia made it impossible for him to respond to external stimuli"
Derived forms: catatonias
Type of: dementia praecox [archaic], schizophrenia, schizophrenic disorder, schizophrenic psychosis, tone, tonicity, tonus
Encyclopedia: Catatonia