Catatonia

This is a comprehensive sourcebook for the field of catatonia. Its ambitious scope includes topics ranging from the evolution of the concept of catatonia to the place of this disorder in the evolutionary framework of human behavior. Each chapter contains a clearly written and balanced review of the relevant literature and is authored by one or more individuals who have contributed substantially to that subject area. Practical and clinically important issues such as assessment, treatment, and differential diagnosis are discussed thoroughly and knowledgeably. Mental health clinicians, researchers, and historians alike will want to add this important resource to their personal libraries. Ron Gurrera, M.D., Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, and Director of Inpatient Mental Health Programs, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts This book is a scientific, cogent, and clinically relevant contribution to the long-overdue resurrection of catatonia, a neuropsychiatric syndrome of fascinating complexity and clinical urgency. The book is authoritative and comprehensive, thought-provoking and practical. It will be valuable to practitioners and scientists alike. Alan J. Gelenberg, M.D., Professor and Head, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona This book is an encyclopedic compendium, yet a highly readable summary of catatonia. It captures virtually every aspect of research regarding this syndrome, beginning with a history of its conceptualization, manifestations in medical and psychiatric disorders, treatment, and animal models. Clinicians should find this work an extremely helpful resource in the management of catatonia. Paul E. Keck Jr., M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Vice Chairman for Research, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio

This book will benefit clinicians managing catatonic phenomena as well as researchers interested in pursuing further investigations. It covers in great detail the psychopathology and neurobiology of catatonia, focusing on the history, epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of the disorder.

During the 20th century, catatonia all but dropped off the agenda of mainstream psychiatric research. However, several dedicated research groups, represented in this volume, continued to report original data highlighting catatonia as a relevant and ideal subject for clinical study. This book, which exemplifies the unparalleled breadth of the knowledge gained, will benefit clinicians managing catatonic phenomena as well as researchers interested in pursuing further investigations.

This book covers in great detail the psychopathology and neurobiology of catatonia, focusing on the history, epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis and treatment of the disorder. This comprehensive volume

• Offers a wide representation of the historical and worldwide literature on the many variants of catatonia in a single, well-organized text.
• Includes work presented by the original investigators, many of whom work outside the United States and have had their previous studies published only in non-English journals.
• Covers alternative opinions and perspectives on catatonia, contributing novel and illuminating perspectives on the syndrome.
• Addresses areas of controversy—including disagreements over treatment and the nosologic status of catatonia—head-on, in a balanced, evidence-based presentation.
• Balances practical clinical material with the underlying neurobiology, presenting clinical aspects in the context of history, epidemiology, cross-cultural perspectives, and neurobiological findings and highlighting the richness and intellectual attraction of the study of the disorder.

Catatonia is unique in offering a diverse, international group of contributors and such a comprehensive, up-to-date review of the clinical and scientific literature, spanning the breadth of contemporary understanding about the nature, meaning, and importance of the syndrome.