MEANING
A serious neuropsychiatric syndrome affecting movement, speech, and behavior, which may involve immobility, unusual postures, or agitation.
Use it for
Unresponsive-looking posture; disrupted voluntary movement; a medical explanation distinct from a supernatural suspicionDescribe observations compassionately and keep a diagnosis separate from the story's menace.
Words that belong together
- signs of catatonia
- catatonia with mutism
- assess catatonia
On the page
The doctor assessed catatonia rather than accepting the family's claim of possession.
Her catatonia included prolonged postures, not sleep.
He spoke gently because catatonia did not mean she could not hear him.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- catatonia
Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Not merely freezing with fear; awareness can persist, and causes are varied. Do not equate the condition with possession, violence, or lack of personhood. Usually uncountable in this sense; no routine plural. Derived/related family (not inflections): catatonic (adjective).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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