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Catatonic Schizophrenia Causes

Catatonic schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness often defined as psychosis. This type of schizophrenia includes extreme abnormal behavior, such as being in a vegetative state or being extremely hyperactive. It is important to recognize the signs and symptoms of this condition in order to get proper treatment so that more serious complications do not arise.

  1. Causes

    • According to the Mayo Clinic, the exact causes of this condition are unknown. Evidence of a brain dysfunction causing this condition have been noted by researchers. Other factors such as a person's environment, genes or brain structure may play a large part in the development of this condition.

    Factors

    • There are certain factors that are believed to play a part in the development of this mental illness. According to the Mayo Clinic, psychoactive drug intake during childhood, childhood trauma, exposure to viruses as a fetus, genetics and fetus malnutrition are all risk factors for this condition.

    Symptoms

    • The symptoms of catatonic schizophrenia are physical immobility, resistance to do things or follow directions, strange movements, mimicking others' speech or movements, excessive movement or energy, poor hygiene, social isolation, difficulties at work or school, clumsy movements, emotionless behavior, delusions, hallucinations and incoherent speech. The primary symptoms, however, are the change between extreme movement or hyperactivity and the inability to move.

    Complications

    • Unfortunately, this disorder not only can be devastating on its own, but also can lead to other dangerous complications. These include suicidal tendencies, self-destructive behavior, depression, substance abuse, incarceration, poverty, poor hygiene, poor relationships, malnutrition and smoking.

    Tests

    • There are several tests that physicians administer to check for this illness, including a complete blood count, physical exam and psychological evaluation. The psychological evaluation will test for the symptoms of this condition in order to see if they meet the criteria for catatonic schizophrenia. According to the Mayo Clinic, it can sometimes be difficult to decipher whether the symptoms are from this condition or another existing complication. The catatonic symptoms may stem from other serious illnesses such as mania, drug abuse, autism, epilepsy or severe depression.

    Treatment

    • Treatment for this illness includes medications to lessen the symptoms, therapy or hospitalization. In severe cases, hospitalization is sometimes necessary to keep the patient from harming himself or others. Medication and life-long therapy are usually required to assist those with this condition.

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