My younger brother is diagnosed with Catatonic SZ. His meds of over 9 years stopped working. He wasn't 100% but was hospitalized for over 2 months and was in such a Catatonic state it was heartbreaking. He is suffering from severe negative symptoms and almost mutism.He was put on Ativan and he started becoming more active. If he doesn't have the Ativan, he locks up as we call it. He's on Clozaril and is home but is far from well. It was a major accomplishment when I found out he actually shaved himself for the first time in months with the electric razor. I am so proud of him. I cry almost every day and say, " I have lost my brother " although I have hope he can get better. He is the most severe case of Catatonic SZ they have ever had. It actually frightened the visitors of the patients sharing a room with him and when I was asked if that was my brother they shook their head that someone could actually be in this condition but he was and is but not as bad as when he first went in. Please tell me there is hope! Growing up he was a star baseball player and has trophies lined up all over his dresser. He was so athletic. He was one of the best swimmers and drivers you have ever seen. You would have never thought it. 🇺🇸

Watching Nathan saddens me a lot. He doesn't "resist" when moved but i can see his distress in being manhandled. Protecting his face with one hand when the other is lifted, then pulling the hand away quickly when his face is grabbed. The laughing and smirking looked like what abused children learn to do, to diffuse a tense situation.

I remember, during one of my rotations, a veteran with catatonic schizophrenia. He would sit for hours staring into space. Or, he would sometimes just walk around the hospital in his own world. Getting him to eat was quite a chore, and he lost so much weight in just a few weeks we questioned whether his admitting weight was correct. Past records proved it was. Once, he disappeared for about six hours by anyone's estimation. We found him in his room. He was in his closet sitting on the shelf in the dark with the door closed.

I didn't eat for 12 days. Finally after 3 hospitals I got to one and finally heard a familiar voice which I couldn't speak but he knew immediately and saved my life. He was the psychiatrist and medical director and knew my background. No one else even asked about my mental history even tho it is on record

The reason Dr. Lehmann is manipulating the patient's bodies is because this was a training film intended to demonstrate the signs and symptoms of catatonia. if he had first told them what he was going to do or asked for their permission it wouldn't be as effective at conveying the patients' passivity and obedience. I think he was very respectful and caring toward his patients in most regards, but in this particular series the aim is to 'provoke' characteristic reactions.

Just came here from your other video on a Catatonic Schizophrenic patient. Fellow Aussie here! Last year I was diagnosed as Catatonic due to a severe depressive episode Aside from agitation and echopraxia I had every symptom on the DSM list. What was bizarre is my psyche nurse was able to watch me fall into the Catatonic stupor over her shift. It's bizarre seeing a video of myself in that state and seeing others. I have almost no memory of the experience due to the experience and the ECT treatment. THANK YOU for raising the issues of consent and inability to consent. One issue that came about during my admission was a relief nurse who did not know I was Catatonic using pain stimulus on me for an extended period of time to try until my family visited and saw what was happening. I don't remember this but it's terrible to think someone was bending my fingers back repeatedly while I was unable to move. Thank you thank you thank you for describing what I refer to as the "forgotten illness". As many nurses told me they'd never seen a Catatonic patient other than myself and most doctors saying they'd seen less than half a dozen. I'm considering sharing my short video of my stupor

Just on the subject of empathising with catatonic patients, having experienced several bouts lasting a few hours during a recent crisis, it doesn't really feel that far outside of normal everyday experience. Though this may have been aided by a dash of very inappropriate affect! It was as though I could produce the conscious thoughts to move my body but the body simply didn't respond. The catalepsy, such as my arm being stuck in place where the nurse had lifted it to take my blood pressure, really felt no different to how you would normally feel at rest. Being unable to adjust position was really uncomfortable and certainly the worst part. Grimacing for me was an emotional expression and occurred as the symptoms became worse, with the inability to control my facial expression being the first signs of both onset and remission of symptoms.

The part where he laughs, my first thought was that i might laugh there also because some of the actions being done seem really ridiculous, like “you just moved my head and hand, asked me stupid questions, then had me randomly shake your hand”. I know that he’s probably not thinking of it that way, but im thinking the laughter was pretty on point if you dont have any underlying issues and were just made to do all that. The rest of this video was pretty informative and enjoyable to try and understand what those patients are dealing w/ or have.

I was born female, identify as female. I was born in 1970. I had first symptoms when I was a month or 2 into grade 9. 14 years of age. My symptoms , I had a small number of symptoms but the were intermittent. This lead me to be aware that something was changing in me because a) my different symptoms would come and go. Some symptoms would be accompanied by other symptoms. While others were "stand alone symptoms " meaning I did exhibit the other symptoms. And b) there was a time before grade 9 that I didn't have symptoms. I may note,: In grade 6 I became catatonic during one of my classes. I didn't then nor today what triggered this episode. I remember being asked a question by my teacher but couldn't move or respond. I was later put in a room and a number of different teachers tried everything to get me to respond. I couldn't speak nor make eye contact. Had fixated on a place on the floor that was a number of feet from me. I was first asked if why I was rebelling, then threatened with detention, another tried to be more sympathetic as a stategy. Then more and more teachers including the vice-principlde threatened me with a more lengthy duration of detention. One teacher,cwhi spoke more kindly asked me to write down why I wasn't talking, moving from my original poster , wasn't interested in water or lunch.... The problem was I literally felt frozen, their voices sounded far off in the distance. I felt absolutely Helplessness and simultaneously numb. Eventually near the end of the school, I was told I could leave but to never pull a stunt like this for attention ever again and reminded that I had 2 weeks of detention during, breaks, lunch and 1 hr after school. That's right around the time I started having panic attacks and nightmares. When I was 11 my parents divorced. My family allowed my 17 year old to live with us while he got his graphic arts degree. He was my Dad's oldest sister's son. The smaller city he was from was in the next province over. My mother seduce him when he was 18 to 19, so they could live in true love. My father was left with me and my two younger siblings. That same summer of when my parents divorced because of my mother's affair. My Uncle, my mom's brother who was 15 started molesting me, as mentioned I was 11. Both my parents where very hard on me in my early years. For example my mother teased me but not my other siblings of being fat (i was a normal body weight) Sheband my father constantly told me I was stupid, hated schools (which I will getbback to) and my mother teased me about having a large nose. This became a family joke that family members were in courage and even reward if they participated and I would be punished if I so much as shed a tear. My sister was a straight A student. I got maybe 1 A but mostly Bs and occasionally Cs. Every single report card I was seated and grilled for as to why I was getting better grades in elementary and junior high. And many of my teachers made a comment that I talked too much. Up until grade 5, I often cried if I saw other kids being mean or picking on someone. I had kinda had became harded to being bullied by my parents. But I was also teased a lot at resses which which is why I at the beginning of each year, would talk to my desk partner as a safe environment to try to establish a friendship. My parents in grade two, had to do reading/spelling cards because I was following behind in learning to read. Our school required us to read out loud or write how we thought words were spelt (in my early 20s it was discovered that I was hard of hearing). My parents where outright Anger with me for them to do the flash card homework. And would mimick me in humiliation. And as I struggled with each new card, I started to stammer which my father mocked and my mother snickered, with that look she gave me, that "proved" I was stupid. Speed ahead to when I started having early signs of sczophrenia. I had started to skip school by grade 10, he would scream at me for hours and hours and ground me for weeks at a time. I Eventually told him I was depressed, and he flew into a rage that ended with him b$ich slapping me while I lay on the floor to protect myself. He within 6 months had me sent to a group home. And my family and extended family disowned me for the Betrayal and Shame I bought on our family name. I never said anything against my family when I was sent to the group home because, back then, if you cane from a family who just had "family" tension, then you were placed in a group home in a nice neighborhood but if you came from a messed up family you were placed in group homes in the crime infested neighborhoods. There was absolutely no reason why I would have broken my silence. Also, I was the one who was disobedient, difficult and hated school. Yet, I joined every single extra-curricular class, I would volunteer at our library during lunches, joined the choir then later band. I was a fitness leader, for our schools morning fitness routine, I was a patrol and the in grade 7 was a Captain Patrol. I also belonged to Brownies and GirlGuides. The reason I joined these extra-curricular activities is because there were no official grades given, nothing except that you where enrolled showed on my report card. I consciously did this in a way for me to find meaning at school without having to deal with the mocking, blaming and punishments. So what is my observations about the video and thev patients. I can see by their subtle expressions and body movements that some of the data reflects a lack of trust these patients had, even worring, that they don't know why they are being asked to do certain activities and that their maybe a punishment or negative write up in their file. I should also mention, my father had a long-term position in a hospital psychward...yet he still managed to label, box and tape me into a Deviant daughter, the scapegoat and cause of all our *extended and immediate family members. I still at 53 have had cousin's say," I hope you beg the Lord for forgiveness fir the Betrayal and Same you have brought to our family for your lies" this was saidbto me April 2022. Note: this is the condensed version of some of the punishments I received in my teen years where I tried desperately to get help from the medical community. I was told, by a very kind doctor who wanted to help me, but he said, we (doctors ) are not permitted to provide prescriptions for mental health issues especially something like Schizophrenia or bipolar disorders. I was basically told to from 14 to 18 to try my best to look after my mental health alone....

The way the psychiatrist was talking to them seemed so off (compared to how I’m guessing they’d speak to patients now). It almost seemed like he was speaking down to children or something. When he was saying “shake, shake hands” to the man on the right, I almost thought he was going to add a “good boy” when he followed the psychiatrists instruction. But very interesting to see these old videos 🇩🇪

If your body/mind are not acting as you want, I can well imagine agitation from the frustration.

My takeaway from the handshake with Nathan and the stand-up-turn-around with Walter is to demonstrate extreme compliance [described as "automatic obedience" by the psychiatrist] (no questions asked nor concerns of why from the patients). These patients seem to react to a certain extent as long as they don't have to interact with the doctor or each other. No eye contact. No conversation. Thank you for doing these reaction videos! Will you eventually do one on the Hebephrenic Schizophrenic that is interviewed by the same doctor? I have alot of questions on that one.

This is quite heartbreaking to watch. I'm thankful that mental health care has progressed greatly. There is more room for new therapies to emerge. Love Dr. Syl pointing out how important consent is. It is our ethical and moral duty to ask for consent and assess cognitive ability to consent. These old videos are interesting and can be educational. It is highly unlikely that these patients could not consent. There wasn't much protection for a patient's privacy for many years. Looking at the timeline of healthcare, privacy and consent are fairly new.

Thank you for continuing to educate us lay'wo'men! I've taken an absence from KZfaq but I'm pleasantly surprised at all the content you've produced. Your plants are looking FAB!

I do get the critizism on the behaviour of the Dr. in the video. But let's not forget that this footage is just a few years older than the times the frontal lobotomy was all the rage.

Hi from Quebec, Canada 🇨🇦 Love the way you explain !

Thank you! this was really helpful for my class!! and I'm watching you from 🇲🇽 🇲🇽 🇲🇽

Very insightful and without the stereotypical KZfaq presentation style. Thank you!

Thank you for this presentation! I taught Psychology 30 some years back. We had to explain some of these conditions to our students, but since in those days we didn’t have videos that demonstrated them, it was somewhat difficult even for me as a teacher to visualize let alone explain the full scope of the illness to my students. It’s definitely a very sad condition to say the least!!😢

Must be terrifying to experience. Confusing, scary, painful, exhausting, I really cannot imagine.

Hello from a US citizen living in Germany! Thank you for presenting this in a clear and respectful manner. My heart goes out to those patients and I wonder what became of them.

This video is amazing, PLEASE keep these coming! 🇺🇸🇺🇸

I have lived with mental illness my whole life and i feel so sad for those men they were victims of the stone age of mental healthcare.

I love your videos !!! greetings from Greece

Dr Syl. Thankyou so much for your efforts with these videos. The way you present complicated information and concepts is done in such a way I fell I understand what you're talking about even though I am only a bus driver. Cheers man 👍🇬🇧

Dr Syl how do you not have 1m subscribers yet ?! Your videos get great views , are very well edited , and the best part you give great commentary and knowledge on each video ! ❤ Can’t wait to see you grow I’ve already been watching for a while and love your videos

A beautiful explanation!❤

It was definitely very interesting to see real examples and cases

Happy Easter from Scotland UK

I found this very interesting. Greetings from Ireland!

Hola doctor un saludo desde Colombia, me encantan sus videos

Just discovered your channel this morning. Love your thoroughness :) And I would definetly say this pshyciatrist is showing remarkable care for his patients considering the times it was filmed. In Denmark from 1900-1990 we had Livø and Sprogø (not gonna bother translating the names of the Islands. Ø=Island.) Livø was from 1911-1961 an Island exclusively for mentally retarded males (They were called Åndssvag in Danish, which is word harsher than retarded), and criminals to prevent them from reproducing, since it was believed that their morally corrupt genes would be passed on. While Sprogø was for "morally and mentally retarded" and promiscuous women, to prevent the spread of STD's and prevent them from producing offspring of "inferior moral quality" The ticket for leaving the island. Was voluntary sterilization. Many also received lobotomies since Denmark was the country that considered it an effective treatment for the longest time of any other country. This institution was considered a shining example of the humanitarian ways of Denmark across Europe, up untill the 1960's and the instution was slowly dismantled untill 1990. Just thought this would be an interesting perspective. Greetings from Denmark!

Hahaha omg. The time stamp on the forehead was brilliant - that cracked me up, I love it 👌😁😅 🇦🇺

Hey well handsome doctor :) I'm psychology student 3rd grade. I've been seen your videos recently.. I was amazed your the way of expressions, studying with us like you're our teacher etc.. I have to say something like i very like you , you attract to me :)

you make super cool videos and are the cutest doctor ever :3

good video mate 🇫🇰

This is sad 😔 I feel bad for these men. I hope they were able to get proper help.

Lyme disease and encephalitis are two illnesses that cause brain damage and brain inflammation. Some of these patients who suffer with Lyme and encephalitis present with schizophrenia symptoms. Which leads me to question is brain inflammation or brain damage causing schizophrenia. These suffers deserve more research and effective treatments.

I'm a simple person. I see a new Dr Syl upload, I smash the like button, then I watch the video. Great info in this one. Question: in the context of schizophrenia/schizoaffective, is catatonia considered something separate or is it viewed as just severe negative symptoms?

Greetings from Poland!!

Hello from Sweden!

Yeah, keep on pushing Walter, yeah, that's it, a little closer, 💥💥💥💥💥

That's heart breaking !!!

Thank you for explaining 🇮🇳💜

Australia, Far north Queensland. Very interesting vid. I also cringed seeing the sudden manipulation by psychiatrist of the patients arms and especially head. Looking at them i from disability and mental health care background, im immediately in mind of the 'freeze' part of the fight, flight and freeze response to extreme danger, harm or trauma. Also of many i have met with diagnosis of extreme autism. We certainly are still learning. Are you aware of any studies where brain imaging of catalepsy affected people were looked at?. I had a family member affected by this condition on a few occasions. She had severe and prolonged abuse stressors in childhood, and the catalepsy episodes occurred at times in her adult life when great stress without mitigation of care or social connection/ support were present. The rest of her life she was a highly intelligent, high functioning lady. Thankyou for this video.

Very interesting

Doc I know you might not see this but I’m nearly 20 I’ve been struggling with my mental health for years, I’m diagnosed with ADHD PTSD and severe depression and I’ve not been to see my GP since I turned 18 but since then I haven’t left my house and if I do go out even for 3 minutes I get cold sweats and fear the world. most of the time I’m not aware what I’m doing in the present time, I’m beginning to stutter and loop my words and I’m never ever happy. My communication skills are rotting too , every time I hear someone walk past my house I instantly get the thought that they could be out to get me and I don’t know what to do honestly Im unemployed because I’m scared to go out and I dislike/fear people outside. I think the best thing for me is to be sectioned because I’m stuck in 2 minds… I don’t want to live no more but I do

Interesting and educational for sure. But damn it feels bad to see fellow humans in such a bad state.

Thanks a million how do they come out

I truly can't imagine what hell this might be for them. Or if it is even a hell at all, and they're just in their own world.

Interesting; yet sad. Ontario Canada

How would seeing patients like this, who probably will never improve much affect the doctor long term. I would think it would get very frustrating.

It seems like one of the loneliest disorders there is. It’s very sad to see…..

Very interesting. 🇺🇸

Fascinating 🇮🇪

🇫🇮 So, how does one treat this illness in Australia? ECT, perhaps? 🤔

The three men seated were apparently actors whom were hired by Dr Heinz Lehmann for the sole purpose of this film footage. They were given their scripts where they enacted their part as best as possible. In reality, catatonia patients would very likely be anti-social against each other such as cats, hence the term catatonia, especially being seated in close proximity to each other. At the time of the filming, most people would have had no idea as to the reality and facts of catatonia, whereas these days such a montage would be quite humorous to state the least. ☝️🙄 P.S The alleged third patient called Nathan, was almost booted out of the room by Dr Lehmann when he began snickering uncontrollably due to the silly antics he was supposed to mimic. 🤔

He's probably laughing because the interview ridiculously treated them. It seemed funny when the first man said, "goodbye" and seemed to giggle as the interviewer left.

When he was laughing he seemed to be laughing at the situation, same as the guy in the middle, the first guy was worse for wear so to speak.

We had someone in our town that probably had the same type of SZ .. He would start standing up but then hold his position for hours like he forgot to what he was about to do .. The sad thing is that people said he was normal until he got addicted to hard drugs and that why he became like that... Maybe the drugs triggered a SZ seizures but he didn't get any help because he was "addicte" and no one tried to understand his condition or help him... sadly he died last year ... and his story became a horror story of drugs ...

Re: the Doctor moving the hands and heads of the individuals. You make a good point as most people would see this act as rather rude and disrespectful. But it most likely is a sign of the times in that (hopefully) modern medicine and psychiatry now sees these poor tormented souls as humans and patients rather that specimens.

nice video, am from zambia 2024

The guy that was grimacing (I think Tommy) looked to me like he was trying hard not to laugh. It reminds me of a guy at my work who is always laughing to himself about something.

Are there any SPECT studies of individuals in this state? Are changes in dopamine indicated?

i legit thought that the picture in the thumbnail was an edited photo of linus tech tips

what if I resonate with all of these symptoms and don't know what to do.

From Kenya 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪

Could you tell me what happened to every one of these patients? So sad

Are their reactions or lack there of a result of being medicated?

So with this severity of illness, do they often recover to some degree of normalcy? Something I've always wondered is if they recall anything if they do recover? Like would these guys recall being recorded and having their hands moved, or what the Dr was saying to them? I find this illness festinating,

Do catatonics have to be repositioned sometimes so they don’t end up hurting their muscles and joints from staying in one postition?

He made me uncomfortable the moment he continued to keep his hand on his shoulder w/ the 1st pt. All you have to do is gently tap them & they will automatically know that you are real in their world. He definitely didn't have to move their heads like that, super weird. Saying "You know me" makes it worse for them bc they probably won't recognize you or think you're not who you say you are

Have you seen “Awakenings” ? Is a catatonic state what they had/something similar?( I know they all had a certain condition, but seems like they were all in some sort of catatonic state as well

Can you be in part stupor when you’re part way full catatonic ??

So sad 😢

Tommy looks like he was stimming nearly with his fingers, I wonder if he could have ASD also the last one has a stim with his hands too, I’m wondering if they were misdiagnosed as children, placed in homes and then traumatised into further psychological mental health disorders.🇦🇺

Interesting🇹🇹

Do people suffering from catatonia respond to music at all ?

I'm from Canada. I can't get a Canadian flag here because I'm on my laptop, not my phone, but I thought I'd mention my country of Canada anyway. :) This reminds me of the movie Awakenings - from the 1990s, I think? - with Robert de Niro and Robin Williams. It was based on real events in the 1960s, when several patients with catatonia in a state institution in the eastern US had a brief time of a awakening from their catatonia when they were administered extremely high doses of dopamine. I think they'd all become catatonic due to an outbreak of a form of meningitis, although I might be wrong about the cause. Anyway, the way the patients in that institution were before and after their brief time of being out of their catatonia were very much like what the three men in this video experienced in their own individual states of catatonia. I've been intrigued by this and other odd human disorders every since watching that movie, especially by watching old health videos.

Does the waxy flexibility happen when they sleep as well? Like if a doctor moved their arm while sleeping will it stay?

🇹🇷my main symptom is amnesia and repressed memorys i ve lived extremly isolated and emotionaly starved i was also tortured i have a weired sense of self and i totaly cannot think my mind feels passed out or in a coma -other than ongoing torture i received also serious head injuries when i was a kid i suffered a stroke when i was 12 and lost all my memory not 2 return 2 me for another 22 years my own name and personal history i had forgoten every thing--in both instances i mentioned above i was in a coma it is like my past is still alive in my head and it has become some kinda filter i feel my childhood abusers have high jacked my sense of self in that case can u tell me how i can get it back?

We don't know that he was laughing inappropriately. Dr. Hanging Hand might have had a stray booger up his nose.

Does being in a stupor or catatonic cause any damage to the body?

I read catatonai has two kind of stupor and exited.mabye agitation is for exited

I know this was the time and they were doing this for educational purposes, but gosh I feel terrible about the way interacted with these people

Treatrment of mental health patients has changed a lot since this was filmed, so it's not really fair to judge it through a modern lense.

Was that the time when people with neuroses and psychoses were locked away? Or was it toward the tail end of that or even afterwards?

How can you bring them out

I think it's because it's extremely difficult to fake. Shows mental health physical symptoms

makes you wonder whats going on in theirs minds

Are antidepressants and Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstrictive Syndrome (RCSV) related? And is dual antidepressant therapy (SSRI+tetracyclic) a bigger risk factor for it?

Absolutely would love to see how one would treat catatonia. I would imagine you would know this flag was going to be here, per your request 🇺🇲, And for accuracy, Florida.

what lm seeing is shyness.

when he laughs syl 6:14 i believe he is laughing not as a symptom but at the joke of himself full of dread

I've been catatonic twice and I thought I was dying! Last time I was severely depressed and schizophrenic even tho I don't have schizophrenia on a normal day. It felt like a dream. And mine has been from stopping my antidepressants mood stabilizerers and anxiety medicine all at once.

I got good idea

So they cannot communicate or smile or socialize or act like normal person. What kind of neurons effect such mental health. I mean normal ppl can sit still...

You should react to the movie: A Beautiful Mind

God knows what these people have been through.

they in shock after trauma , if hypnotized to sit still than dehypñotise them or them them out