Catatonic syndrome: importance of detection and treatment with lorazepam.

Background: A resurgence of interest has led to renewed attempts to clarify the concept and treatment of catatonia.

Method: A large prospective study was conducted to estimate the incidence of catatonic syndrome in 138 consecutive psychiatric patients admitted to a general hospital in India, to demarcate the common symptom presentations and its response to intravenous benzodiazepines. Patients were screened using the Bush Francis Catatonia Screening Instrument.