Catatonic syndrome in a Gambian teenager: an unusual case presentation
Abstract
Background: catatonia is one of the most dramatic psychiatric presentations, it is a very rare condition in children and adolescents, it could be misdiagnosed as a psychotic disorder, and could cause death if not treated properly.
Objective: to discuss an unusual case of a Gambian female teenager diagnosed of catatonic syndrome.
Case report: a 14-year-old Gambian female teenager was admitted to Banjul Pediatric Hospital because she refused to eat, drink or speak for one week. On physical examination she was found to have an increased heart rate, moderate signs of dehydration, stuporous level of consciousness and generalized rigidity of the body. Imaging studies and lab tests were normal. After being diagnosed of catatonic syndrome and treated with Lorazepam for 10 days, she improved enough and she was satisfactorily discharged.
Conclusions: despite the fact that catatonia is a rare condition, the general practitioner must know this pathology, in order to impose the appropriate treatment, avoid its aggravation and thus preserve the life of these patients.
DeCS: CATATONÍA/diagnosis; CATATONÍA/drug therapy; ADOLESCENT; STUPOR/diagnosis; STUPOR/treatment.
Downloads
References
1. Yasgur MA, LSW. The misconceptions of catatonia. Treatment is often useful with the right knowledge. Psychiatry Advisor [Internet]. 2018 Ago [citado 08 Abr 2020]. Disponible en: https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/home/schizophrenia-advisor/the-many-misconceptions-of-catatonia-treatment-is-often-successful-with-the-right-knowledge/.
2. Arenas Borrero A, Uribe Restrepo M. Catatonía. En: Gómez Restrepo C, Hernandez Bayona G, Rojas Urrego A, Santacruz Oleas H, Uribe Restrepo M, editores. Psiquiatría clínica: diagnóstico y tratamiento en niños, adolescentes y adultos. 3ra ed. Bogotá: Editorial Medica Panamericana; 2008.p. 392-414.
3. Fink M, Shorter E, Taylor MA. Catatonia is not Schizophrenia: Kraepelin's Error and the Need to Recognize Catatonia as an Independent Syndrome in Medical Nomenclature. Schizophr Bull [Internet]. 2010 Mar [citado 08 Abr 2020];36(2):[aprox. 7 p.]. Disponible en: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2833121/.
4. Appiani FJ, Castro GS. Catatonia is not schizophrenia and it is tratable. Schizophr Res [Internet]. 2018 Oct [citado 10 Jun 2020];200:[aprox. 5 p.]. Disponible en: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28610803/. Doi:10.1016/j.schres.2017.05.030.
5. Pérez-González AF. Catatonía y delirium en pacientes neuropsiquiátricos: frecuencia, fenomenología y desenlace clínico. Arch Neurocien (Mex) [Internet]. 2015 [citado 25 Abr 2020];20(3):[aprox. 10 p.]. Disponible en: https://www.medigraphic.com/pdfs/arcneu/ane-2015/ane153d.pdf
6. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Washington, DC: APA; 2013.
7. Katarzyna Bialasiewicz G. Síndrome de catatonia: en el punto de mira de la neurobiología [Internet]. España: Infosalus; Abr 2016 [citado 12 Abr 2020]. Disponible en: https://www.infosalus.com/salud-investigacion/noticia-sindrome-catatonia-punto-mira-neurobiologia-20160425055949.html
8. Pelzer ACM, van der Heijden FM, den Boer E. Systemetic Review of catatonia Treatment. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat [Internet]. 2018 Ene [citado 17 Ene 2020];14: [aprox. 10 p.]. Disponible en: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5775747/.
9. Shorter E, Fink M. The madness of fear: a History of Catatonia [Internet]. EE.UU: Oxford University Press; 2018. Disponible en: https://www.prnewswire.com/the-madness-of-fear-300738972. Oxford University Press 2018
10. Tanidir C, Adaletti H, Ozbek F, Gunes H, Uneri OS. Catatonia and differential diagnosis in adolescence: a case report. J Psychiatry Neurological Sciences [Internet]. 2015 Sep [citado 17 Ene 2020];28(3):[aprox. 5 p.]. Disponible en: https://www.bibliomed.org/mnsfulltext/43/43-1419710531.pdf?1623939343
11. Roberto AJ, Pinnaka S, Mohan A, Yoon H, Lapidus KAB. Adolescent catatonia successfully treated with Lorazepam and Aripiprazole. Case Rep Psychiatry [Internet]. 2014 [citado 12 Ene 2020];2014. Disponible en: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4145739/.
12. González A, Nachar R, Quezada L, Vergara F, Sumba J, Díaz de Valdes F, et al. Síndrome catatónico. Discusión a partir de un caso clínico. Psiquiatría y salud Mental [Internet]. 2017 [citado 12 Mar 2020];XXXIV(1-2):[aprox. 7 p.]. Disponible en: https://www.medfinis.cl/img/libros/32-38%20sindrome%20cat.pdf
13. Brasic JR. Catatonía Treatment and management. Approach considerations. Medscape [Internet]. 2018 Feb [citado 12 Mar 2019]. Disponible en: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1154851-treatment
14. Coffey MJ. Catatonía: Treatment and prognosis. Up To Date [Internet]. 2021 May [citado 22 Nov 2020]. Disponible en: https://www.uptodate.com/contents/catatonia-treatment-and-prognosis
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright: Camagüey Medical Archive Magazine, offers immediately after being indexed in the SciELO Project; Open access to the full text of the articles under the principle of making available and free the research to promote the exchange of global knowledge and contribute to a greater extension, publication, evaluation and extensive use of the articles that can be used without purpose As long as reference is made to the primary source.
Conflicts of interest: authors must declare in a mandatory manner the presence or not of conflicts of interest in relation to the investigation presented.
(Download Statement of potential conflicts of interest)
The Revista Archivo Médico de Camagüey is under a License Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
This license allows others to distribute, to mix, to adjust and to build from its work, even for commercial purposes, as long as it is recognized the authorship of the original creation. This is the most helpful license offered. Recommended for maximum dissemination and use of licensed materials. The full license can be found at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/
22 julio 2025