What is Catatonic Schizophrenia? Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

Introduction

What is catatonic behavior in schizophrenia? The characteristic symptoms seen in schizophrenia are called catatonic. In this, the person does not move much and is not able to follow any instructions. At its peak, the person emits excessive and strange sounds of motor movements. This is called catatonic excitement. (Catatonic Schizophrenia)

What are the 4 types of schizophrenia?

There are the Following Types of Schizophrenia –

Paranoid Schizophrenia

Paranoid schizophrenia has delusions or convulsions. It is often acute and is followed by specific topics such as harassment, jealousy, religion, etc. They may feel anxious, angry, alienated, or behaving rationally. People with delusions may be violent or suicidal, but they are more likely to stabilize over time.?

Disorganized Schizophrenia

Disorganized schizophrenia, formerly known as hadronic, has a variety of disorder in speech and behavior. This means that the person can talk off-topic or give a different answer than what is being asked. This behavior reduces a person’s ability to perform daily activities such as cooking, bathing, or wearing clothes.?

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Catatonic Schizophrenia

Catatonic schizophrenia can cause extreme sedation and unresponsiveness. In this, the patient behaves steadily, mutually or negatively. The person can sometimes look nervous. Patients with catatonic schizophrenia often repeat talk and activities.

Residual and Undifferentiated Schizophrenia

Residual schizophrenia is said to occur when a person has had symptoms of schizophrenia at least once, but no longer has any major symptoms. However, there may be some negative symptoms such as speaking less, speaking strange things, or creating new beliefs without reason.

When a person has symptoms of various types of schizophrenia, it is called undifferentiated Schizophrenia.

Stages of Schizophrenia?

What are the Stages of Schizophrenia?

There are Four Following Stages of Schizophrenia-

Initial Stage

In the initial stage of schizophrenia, the sufferer does not feel any change in their behavior because the change is minor. Usually, people related to the patient feel a difference in his behavior.

The person may experience depression, anxiety, nervousness, and other general and abnormal mood fluctuations. It is prevalent to feel these feelings during the late teens and early adulthood.

The more obvious symptoms of schizophrenia are – anger, awkward behavior, or social isolation. This stage of schizophrenia can last for months or years before developing into an acute phase.

Acute Phase (Active Phase)

This is the stage where schizophrenia is fully developed. In the acute phase, the actual symptoms of schizophrenia occur at high intensity. The victim may first feel that they have a problem due to sudden mood changes at this stage.

It means that the problem has manifested at full intensity, but it is not always immediate. This stage can be diagnosed by visiting a hospital and psychiatrist.

This stage of highly active and acute symptoms lasts for an average of six weeks but can last up to four weeks or even eight weeks. After this, the symptoms go into a phase of reduction.

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Subtraction Phase

Symptoms begin to subside in this phase after the rapid activity of symptoms. In this phase, the intensity and appearance of symptoms can be significantly reduced, and some signs may even go away completely.

With treatment, symptoms can be prevented from occurring for a long time, and regular work can be continued. It is not that the symptoms will go away forever; sometimes these symptoms can happen again and again.

However, if the symptoms are recurrent, you can help the psychiatrist to identify the right type of medication and possibly get complete relief from the symptoms.

Recurrence Phase

In this phase, the symptoms begin to reappear at an acute level. It can be avoided or reduced by using the prescribed treatment and medicines by the doctor.

You can get acquainted with the feelings and symptoms that occur in it and talk to your doctor immediately. The biggest reason for this stage is that when the victim’s symptoms start to subside, they feel that they do not need medication and they stop treatment.

What are the Signs of Catatonic Schizophrenia?

In this disease, the signs of different people are also different. In this, the system gradually appears within the people in months or years. This disease is such that it keeps on coming and going.

• Seeing and hearing something that is not there.
• You feel as if people are overseeing you.
• Having a peculiar complexity in terms of writing and speaking.
• Keep the body clumsy.
• Reacting differently on every momentous occasion.
• To become utterly insensitive from studies and writing.
• Change in personality.
• Stay disconnected from any social process.
• Being cut off from your near and dear ones.
• Problems with sleeping or concentrating.
• Having redundant connections with mystical things or religion.
• Catatonic schizophrenia is identified when any of these three symptoms occur.
• Shock – no interaction with any kind of psycho-motor activity and environment.
• Tetanus
• Wax-like shape- If the doctor keeps the patient’s arm in one position, then the patient keeps it in the same position until it is removed again.
• Mutism – limited oral response
• Negativity – little or no response to instructions and external stimuli
• Holding posture
• Performing strange and exaggerated tasks
• Stereotype – keep working the same without any reason and meaning
• Distraction
• Make someone else’s voice

Symptoms of Catatonic Schizophrenia

Catatonic schizophrenia is now less commonly found in treatment than in modern. Catatonic, rather than schizophrenia, is seen more in mental illnesses such as neuro developmental (a condition that affects the child’s nervous system at the time of developing), psychotic bipolar, and depressive disorder.

Catatonia can be seen in patients with excessive and low motor activity. Due to modern technology, patients with catatonic schizophrenia can understand their symptoms easily, which makes their life better.

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What are the Symptoms of Catatonic Schizophrenia?

Sometimes schizophrenia can cause disturbing symptoms. These symptoms are as follows –

Abnormality in Thinking or Speaking

People with schizophrenia often experience rapid changes in their ability to speak. They tend to use different words and phrases.

Behavioral Abnormality

A person with schizophrenia may experience symptoms such as trouble controlling impulses, strange emotional reactions to situations, lack of emotion or expression, and lack of enthusiasm for life.

Lose Interest in Everyday Normal Activities

A person with schizophrenia often loses interest in life’s activities. Its symptoms are as follows –

• Social isolation.
• Trouble to be happy.
• Trouble planning your life.
• The problem in completing normal daily activities.

Why Does Catatonic Schizophrenia Occur?

The exact cause of schizophrenia is not yet known. However, it is known that like cancer and sugar (diabetes) it is also a severe disease with a biological basis. This is not the result of personal weakness. Researchers have revealed several factors that play an essential role in schizophrenia. These factors are –

Heredity

Schizophrenia can be familial, which means that if one of the parents has this disease, then their children can also have it.

Brain Abnormality

People with schizophrenia may have an abnormal buildup of certain chemicals in the brain that affects thinking and behavior. Unusual brain structure and function can also cause this.

Environmental Factors

Evidence suggests that some environmental factors such as viral infections, excessive use of narcotics such as ganja, or living in highly stressful conditions can develop schizophrenia.

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Causes of Catatonic Schizophrenia

Genetics

In a family with a history of schizophrenia, there is a high risk of suffering from this disease.

Viral Infection

According to some recent studies, children are more likely to develop schizophrenia due to viral infection.

Fetal Malnutrition

If the fetus suffers from malnutrition during pregnancy, there is a higher risk of developing schizophrenia.

Stress During Early Life

There is a risk of developing a type of dementia due to severe stress in early life.

Age of Parents at Birth?

Children of older parents are more likely to develop this disease.

Treatment of Catatonic Schizophrenia

Catatonic Schizophrenia is a condition that lasts all life, although catatonic symptoms are not always necessary. Schizophrenia patients require treatment permanently.

Even when the symptoms disappear, and the patient starts feeling better, they have improved. All types of schizophrenia are treated in the same way. Depending on the facts, severity, and symptoms of the disease, methods of treatment may vary.

Benzodiazepines

These medicines are called tranquilizers which help to calm the mind. They are specially derived from catatonic schizophrenia. It is injected intravenously and shows its effect very rapidly. Consuming this medicine for a long time can also make you a victim of addiction. It should be used for some time only.

Barbiturates

Such drugs are painkillers and soothe. Its effects range from mild anesthesia to anesthesia. Barbiturates are used as a treatment for catatonic schizophrenia.

Generally, people aged 15 to 35 suffer from it. The World Health Organization says that in the coming time, the number of patients related to this disease will increase significantly. The disease occurs equally in both men and women.

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Catatonic Schizophrenia Treatment?

How is Catatonic Schizophrenia Treated?

The goal of treating schizophrenia is to reduce symptoms and reduce the likelihood of withdrawal of symptoms. The following treatments for schizophrenia can be –

The Medicines

The primary drugs used for the treatment of schizophrenia are called anti-psychotics. These drugs do not treat schizophrenia but relieve many symptoms, including confusion, hallucinations, and thinking problems.

Psychological Therapy

While medicines can help relieve the symptoms of schizophrenia, various psychological treatments help in relieving behavioral, psychological, social, and occupational problems related to the disease. Through treatment, patients are also able to manage their symptoms, identify signs of early symptoms, and develop plans to avoid it.

Hospitalization

People with particularly severe symptoms or those who are at risk of injury to themselves or others or who cannot take care of themselves at home may be hospitalized to stabilize their condition.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

This is a process in which electrodes are placed on the head of the person and a small electric shock is delivered to the brain in normal unconsciousness. Treatment of ECT involves 2-3 treatments per week for a few weeks. Each electric shock treatment leads to controlled seizures, and over time it improves mood and thinking.

Risk and complications of schizophrenia (psychosis) – Schizophrenia Risks & Complications

Although the exact cause of schizophrenia is not known, several risk factors can cause it.

Risk Factors of Catatonic Schizophrenia are:

• History of schizophrenia in the family.
• The age of the father 35 years or more.
• Birth and pregnancy complications.?
• Accelerating immune system activity due to some disease or inflammation.
• Taking mind-altering drugs at the time of adolescence or young adult.

Complications Due to Catatonic Schizophrenia

If schizophrenia is left untreated, it can cause serious problems affecting every area of ??life. Additionally, the complications of schizophrenia are –

• Attempt to commit suicide or suicidal thoughts.
• To get worried.
• Hurting myself
• Isolation from social relations.
• Not wanting to go to work or school.
• Other medical or health problems.
• Expressing aggressive symptoms.

What To Avoid During Catatonic Schizophrenia?

In schizophrenia, sometimes the symptoms go away for some time but they can come back when you stop treatment, so do not stop your treatment and do not take the following foods –

• Carbonated beverages containing sugar syrup
• Pasta
• Milk and yogurt
• Bread
• Nuts
• Processed foods
• wheat and barley
• Stimulants like alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine
• Fish, seeds and betel nuts

What To Eat During Catatonic Schizophrenia?

Eating the following substances may be beneficial in schizophrenia –

• Foods containing omega three fatty acids such as soybeans, spinach, strawberries, cucumbers, etc.
• Vitamin B foods.
• Foods containing vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E.

Conclusion

Patients those are suffering from catatonic schizophrenia shows a somewhat different profile of the risk factors from those peoples with some other types of schizophrenia in this cohort and are also more likely to attempt suicide. This lends some of the support to the hypothesis that catatonic schizophrenia may have a distinct etiology.

Note: Depression Cure does not provide any type of medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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