Catatonia Differential Diagnoses

Updated: Sep 18, 2023
  • Author: James Robert Brasic, MD, MPH, MS, MA; Chief Editor: Selim R Benbadis, MD  more...
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DDx

Diagnostic Considerations

In addition to the conditions listed in the differential diagnosis, other problems to be considered include the following:

  • Acute stress disorder

  • Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis

  • Astrocytoma

  • Autistic disorder [5]

  • Brief reactive psychosis with catatonia

  • Carotid disease

  • Cephalosporin-associated neurotoxicity [71]

  • Cocaine-induced leukoencephalopathy [72]

  • Conversion disorder [73, 74]

  • Delirium

  • Dystonia

  • Encephalopathy - HIV infection

  • Extrapontine myelinolysis

  • Fabry disease

  • Hallervorden-Spatz disease

  • Huntington disease

  • Inherited metabolic disorders

  • Inherited neurometabolic disorders

  • Latah betul [43, 44, 45]

  • Locked-in syndrome

  • Low-grade astrocytoma

  • Major depression, single episode with catatonic features

  • Malignant hyperthermia

  • Manganese neurotoxicity [75]

  • Medication adverse effect - Levetiracetam, zotepine

  • Mega cisterna magna [76]

  • Meningioma

  • Mood disorders

  • Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS)

  • Neurosarcoidosis

  • Neurosyphilis

  • Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN), also known as neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation 1 (NBIA1), also called Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome

  • Parkinson disease

  • Parkinson-plus syndromes

  • Posttraumatic stress disorder

  • Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome [77]

  • Prion disease [37]

  • Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy

  • Progressive supranuclear palsy

  • Renal failure [71]

  • Schizophrenia

  • Serotonin syndrome [78] - the serotonin syndrome checklist [79] is a simple tool to assess a patient for evidence of serotonin syndrome

  • Stiff-person syndrome

  • Stupor

  • Subdural hematoma

  • Substance intoxication - Cyclosporine, phencyclidine

  • Syphilis

  • Systemic lupus erythematosus [80]

  • Tay-Sachs disease

  • Thermal injury

  • Torticollis

  • Transplantation of kidney and liver [81]

  • Tuberculosis

  • Vegetative states

  • Von Economo encephalitis

  • Zaghrouta [73, 74]

  • Zolpidem withdrawal [82]

Differential Diagnoses