Catatonia in a woman who is profoundly deaf-mute: Case report

Abstract

Catatonia is a common but underrecognised complication of bipolar disorder, with a quarter of in-patients with bipolar disorder developing catatonia. Almost 9 million people in the UK are deaf or have a significant hearing problem and British Sign Language is the preferred language of 50 000-70 000 people within the UK. Between 1 and 2% of these individuals (i.e. the same as in the rest of the population) will experience bipolar disorder in their lifetime and therefore the accurate diagnosis of catatonia is important. We report a case of catatonia presenting with dysphagia in a woman who is profoundly deaf-mute and who has bipolar disorder. This report highlights some modifications of presentation and difficulties of accurate diagnosis and management of catatonia in this patient. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of catatonia in someone who is profoundly deaf-mute.