Delirious catatonia in a patient with acute psychosis in relation to chronic hydrocephaly: A case study

• Published in: مجله پزشکی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تبریز
• Main Authors: Vahid Shahriari, Sadaf Latifi
• Format: Article
• Language: Persian
• Published: Tabriz University of Medical Sciences 2025-04-01
• Subjects: delirious catatonia; acute psychosis; hydrocephaly
• Online Access: https://mj.tbzmed.ac.ir/PDF/mj-47-108.pdf

Background. Catatonia is a heterogeneous neuropsychiatric syndrome that includes motor and behavioral symptoms. Delirium is an acute brain disorder caused by diseases and medical conditions or toxic substances. The relationship between catatonia and delirium has clinical significance, and may create therapeutic complexity. Therefore, this study aimed to report delirium catatonia in a young man with chronic hydrocephalus. Case Presentation. The patient is a 36-year-old man with no history of psychosis, whose symptoms started acutely the day before the visit without any particular stressor. The patient's symptoms included agitation, restlessness, and mild imbalance in walking as well as talking to himself, irrelevant answers to questions and persecutory delusions. Conclusion. In sum, delirium and catatonia may have occurred simultaneously. Practical Implications. An injection of benzodiazepine at the beginning of the formation of catatonia symptoms and before its full establishment and progress may lead to a dramatic treatment response and improve all catatonia symptoms.