Organic factors in catatonia.

A retrospective case-control study was performed using the records of 59 catatonics, 59 non-catatonic schizophrenics, 59 manics, 59 depressives and 59 surgical controls. The findings suggest that prior brain injury and physical illness at onset of psychosis are much more common in subjects with catatonia. While these findings do not account for all cases of catatonia, they may indicate an aetiology for some phenotypic cases of catatonia.