Catatonia Definition

kătə-tōnē-ə
noun
A syndrome, esp. of schizophrenia, marked by stupor or catalepsy, often alternating with phases of excitement.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
  • catatonic type schizophrenia
  • catatonic-schizophrenia

Other Word Forms of Catatonia

Noun

Singular:
catatonia
Plural:
catatonias

Origin of Catatonia

  • New Latin from German Katatonie from Greek katatonos stretching tight from katateinein to stretch tight kata- intensive pref. cata– teinein to stretch ten- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Catatonia Sentence Examples

  • The complete and rapid collapse of external values precipitates instant catatonia.

  • Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT, also called electric shock treatments) has been utilized to relieve symptoms of catatonia and depression in schizophrenics, especially in cases where medication is not effective.

  • In my view, slow-onset catatonia is brought about by the gradual intensification of guilt.

  • This event is described in the previous article, which focuses on rapid-onset catatonia.

  • Catatonia in the infant is not visible because he binds himself to the parent via the stratagem of identification with that parent.