TY - JOUR
T1 - The origins of catatonia – Systematic review of historical texts between 1800 and 1900
AU - Hirjak, Dusan
AU - Foucher, Jack R.
AU - Ams, Miriam
AU - Jeanjean, Ludovic C.
AU - Kubera, Katharina M.
AU - Wolf, Robert Christian
AU - Northoff, Georg
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) (grant number DFG HI 1928/5-1 and 1928/6-1 to D.H., and WO 1883/17-1 to R.C.W.). The DFG had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Since January 1st 2022, catatonia is (again) recognized as an independent diagnostic entity in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). This is a relevant time to systematically review how the concept of catatonia has evolved within the 19th century and how this concept changed under the influence of a wide variety of events in the history of psychiatry. Here, we systematically reviewed historical and modern German and English texts focusing on catatonic phenomena, published from 1800 to 1900. We searched five different electronical databases (https://archive.org, www.hathitrust.org, www.books.google.de, https://link.springer.com and PubMed) and closely reviewed 60 historical texts on catatonic symptoms. Three main findings emerged: First, catatonic phenomena and their underlying mechanisms were studied decades before Karl Ludwig Kahlbaum's catatonia concept of 1874. Second, Kahlbaum not only introduced catatonia, but, more generally, also called for a new classification of psychiatric disorders based on a comprehensive analysis of the entire clinical picture, including the dynamic course and cross-sectional symptomatology. Third, the literature review shows that between 1800 and 1900 catatonic phenomena were viewed to be ‘located’ right at the interface of motor and psychological symptoms with the respective pathophysiological mechanisms being discussed. In conclusion, catatonia can truly be considered one of the most exciting and controversial entity in both past and present psychiatry and neurology, as it occupies a unique position in the border territory between organic, psychotic and psychogenic illnesses.
AB - Since January 1st 2022, catatonia is (again) recognized as an independent diagnostic entity in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). This is a relevant time to systematically review how the concept of catatonia has evolved within the 19th century and how this concept changed under the influence of a wide variety of events in the history of psychiatry. Here, we systematically reviewed historical and modern German and English texts focusing on catatonic phenomena, published from 1800 to 1900. We searched five different electronical databases (https://archive.org, www.hathitrust.org, www.books.google.de, https://link.springer.com and PubMed) and closely reviewed 60 historical texts on catatonic symptoms. Three main findings emerged: First, catatonic phenomena and their underlying mechanisms were studied decades before Karl Ludwig Kahlbaum's catatonia concept of 1874. Second, Kahlbaum not only introduced catatonia, but, more generally, also called for a new classification of psychiatric disorders based on a comprehensive analysis of the entire clinical picture, including the dynamic course and cross-sectional symptomatology. Third, the literature review shows that between 1800 and 1900 catatonic phenomena were viewed to be ‘located’ right at the interface of motor and psychological symptoms with the respective pathophysiological mechanisms being discussed. In conclusion, catatonia can truly be considered one of the most exciting and controversial entity in both past and present psychiatry and neurology, as it occupies a unique position in the border territory between organic, psychotic and psychogenic illnesses.
KW - Catatonia
KW - History
KW - Karl Ludwig Kahlbaum
KW - Psychomotor
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U2 - 10.1016/j.schres.2022.06.003
DO - 10.1016/j.schres.2022.06.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 35710511
AN - SCOPUS:85132522657
SN - 0920-9964
JO - Schizophrenia Research
JF - Schizophrenia Research
ER -