Can You Go Into a Catatonic State With Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is an extreme mental illness that often coincides with other diseases or conditions, including catatonic behavior.

Defined

• Catatonic disorders are defined as disturbances in muscular movement resulting from a psychological state. Often a person will sit in one position, unable to move for days, weeks, months or even years.

Depression

• Extremely depressed people diagnosed with catatonic schizophrenia can experience catatonic states. This can leave them motionless for weeks.

Symptoms

• Symptoms that may lead to a catatonic state include mutism, peculiar movements, harsh negativity and imitation of movements and words. These patients often need caretakers 24 hours a day.

Mood Disorders

• Bipolar depression is not the only mental disorder that can trigger catatonic states. Those suffering manic or mixed moods also can become immobile.

Pain

• People who suffer with bipolar disorder often feel chronic pain caused by nothing more than the illness, and even moving can be excruciatingly painful. As people seek help for their depression, often the catatonic behavior disappears.