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3 - Phenomenology and Subjective Experience of Catatonia: Clinical Cases

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2025

Dusan Hirjak
Affiliation:
Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany
Georg Northoff
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa
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Summary

This chapter illustrates different psychopathological presentations, highlights key aspects crucial for catatonia management, explores the subjective experiences of catatonia patients, and proposes novel approaches to address various symptoms while deriving therapeutic options. We present five catatonia patients, four of them were treated at the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim, Germany, by Dr. Hirjak, one patient was treated by Dr. Northoff at the Department of Psychiatry in Magdeburg, Germany. This chapter focuses on their catatonic and other psychopathological symptoms, subjective experiences, treatment outcomes, and follow-up assessments in the outpatient departments of CIMH and Magdeburg. The patient case examples are structured as follows: (1) introduction and background on the significance and relevance of the case, (2) case presentation, (3) treatment, (4) follow-up and outcomes, and (5) discussion. Patient examples, including statements from a first-person perspective, will be provided, and new clinical rating scales on the subjective experience of catatonia patients will be discussed.

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Type
Chapter
Information
Catatonia
A Practical Guide to a Clinical and Scientific Conundrum
, pp. 30 - 46
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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