Catatonia, beyond a psychiatric syndrome

• Main Authors: Nathália Stela Visoná de Figueiredo, Débora Bartzen Moraes Angst, Antônio de Matos Lima Neto, Michel Ferreira Machado, Maria Sheila Guimarães Rocha, Sônia Maria Dozzi Brucki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associação Neurologia Cognitiva e do Comportamento
• Series: Dementia & Neuropsychologia
• Subjects: catatonia; trombose dos seios intracranianos; infarto encefálico; estado epiléptico
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1980-57642017000200209&lng=en&tlng=en

ABSTRACT Although catatonia is a well-known psychiatric syndrome, there are many possible systemic and neurological etiologies. The aim of this case report was to present a case of a patient with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and infarction in which catatonia was the clinical manifestation of a possible nonconvulsive status epilepticus. To our knowledge, only one such case has been reported in the literature, which had a simplified diagnostic investigation. It is important to correctly recognize the organic cause underlying catatonia in order to treat the patient as soon as possible thereby improving outcome. Therefore, physicians need to update their knowledge on catatonia, recognizing that it can be part of a psychiatric or neurologic condition.