Question

Discuss the symptoms of catatonic schizophrenia.

Give two symptoms of the following:

Catatonic schizophrenia

Answer 1

• Marked by disturbances in movement.
• Symptoms include:
  • Motor immobility: Person may remain in a fixed position for hours.
  • Excessive motor activity: Sudden, purposeless movements.
  • Negativism: Resistance to instructions or attempts to be moved.
  • Echolalia: Repeating others words.
  • Echopraxia: Mimicking others movements.
• The person may appear unresponsive, even though awake.

Answer 2

1. Motor immobility: A person may remain in a stable posture for an extended period of time, with little or no responsiveness to external stimuli. They may resist being moved.
2. Excessive or purposeless motor activity: The individual may make strange, repetitive, or restless movements for without any obvious reason, or they may imitate the behaviours of others (echopraxia).