The syndrome of lethal catatonia

Lethal catatonia (LC) is a life-threatening neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with a host of psychiatric, neurologic and medical conditions. The clinical picture is characterised by fragmented psychotic symptoms, catatonic phenomena particularly alternating stupor and agitation, altered consciousness, hyperthermia and other autonomic disturbances. A case of LC in a 19-year-old Chinese woman showing a dramatic response to lorazepam and bromocriptine is described and a brief overview of the contemporary literature is provided.