Catatonic syndrome during COVID-19 - a case study

Catatonia is a neuropsychiatric condition involving qualitative psychomotor and volitional disorders. As a nosological unit, it is included in the international classifications of diseases - ICD-10 and DSM-5, but diagnostic criteria vary greatly between these classifications. COVID-19 is an infectious disease that primarily affects the respiratory system, sometimes other organs as well. There are individual reports of COVID-19 coexisting with catatonia in the literature. This case involves a young man who has been hospitalized with symptoms of acute psychotic disorder. During diagnosis, SARS-CoV-2 was diagnosed and full-symptomatic catatonia developed. The aetiology of these disorders remains unclear to this day. The treatment, however, was highly complicated due to the need to administer benzodiazepines medicaments in large doses, which act depressingly on the respiratory system and thus may worsen the process of COVID-19. This case raises the inclusion of the catatonic syndrome in international classifications, the possible causes of its occurrence in this patient and the correct and safe treatment of catatonic disorders coexisting with COVID-19 infection.