- Catatonia is a neuropsychiatric syndrome with motor and behavioural symptoms, and can result from psychiatric, medical, or substance-related causes.
- Case of a 48-year-old woman with bipolar disorder and sickle cell disease experiencing at least 11 pain crises with recurrent comorbid catatonia.
- Clinical improvement required concurrent management of sickle cell pain crises and benzodiazepine treatment for catatonia.
Case Rep Psychiatry. 2026 Aug 24;2026:9882696. doi: 10.1155/crps/9882696. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
Catatonia is a neuropsychiatric syndrome with motor and behavioral symptoms, including mutism, negativism, posturing, stereotypy, and hypoactivity. Although previously linked primarily to psychiatric illness, a variety of medical conditions and substance intoxication or withdrawal have also been implicated. It is important to identify all potential underlying drivers of catatonia and treat them along with the catatonia itself for the best outcome. We present the case of a 48-year-old female with a psychiatric history of bipolar disorder and past medical history of sickle cell disease who has frequently presented to the hospital with sickle cell pain crises. She has had at least 11 incidences of sickle cell pain crisis with a comorbid episode of catatonia, a condition that has not been previously well reported with the development of recurrent catatonia in the literature. Improvement of symptoms in this patient requires management of both her pain crisis and benzodiazepines for treatment of catatonia.
PMID:42639413 | PMC:PMC13501497 | DOI:10.1155/crps/9882696
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