Related Experiment Videos
Is stupor by itself a catatonic symptom?
V Benegal1, S Hingorani, S Khanna
1Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India.
Psychopathology
|January 1, 1992
Summary
This study suggests that stupor, even without other classic signs, is a form of catatonia. Researchers found few differences between patients with stupor alone and those with other catatonic symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Catatonia is a syndrome characterized by motor abnormalities, but its presentation with stupor alone is debated.
- Phenomenological literature lacks clarity on whether isolated stupor constitutes a distinct syndrome or a variant of catatonia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether stupor, presenting with or without classical catatonic signs, represents a distinct syndrome or a manifestation of catatonia.
- To compare sociodemographic and clinical variables between patients with stupor alone and those with other catatonic signs.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study of patients presenting with stupor (mutism or decreased motor responses) versus those with additional classical catatonic signs (negativism, waxy flexibility).
- Sociodemographic and clinical variables were analyzed over a one-year period (1988) for 22 patients with stupor and 43 with other catatonic signs.
Main Results:
- Few significant differences were found between the groups regarding age, sex, diagnosis, illness duration, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) requirements.
- The stupor group showed a slight excess of patients with manic-depressive psychosis, depression, and a higher frequency of positive family histories of mental illness.
Conclusions:
- The findings tentatively support the hypothesis that stupor is a catatonic sign.
- Stupor, even when presenting in isolation, can be considered a catatonic syndrome.