Intracranial Space-Occupying Lesion Presenting as Catatonia in a Patient of Affective Disorder with a History of Recurrent Catatonic Episodes: A Case Report

Intracranial space-occupying lesions (ICSOLs) like hematomas, neoplasms, granulomas, or brain abscesses can present with diverse neuropsychiatric manifestations. Subtle cognitive deficits, anxiety, affective symptoms—especially depression, personality changes, and psychosis, most commonly hallucinations, have been associated with organic etiology. Catatonia has seen a paradigmatic shift in its etiological basis and space-occupying lesion is a rare yet important cause to be investigated for, as it poses a challenge in terms of searching for early clinical indicators of cerebral pathology and difference in treatment outcome due to etiology. Here we present a case of catatonia due to ICSOL in a patient of affective disorder with a history of recurrent catatonic episodes, highlighting the importance of approaching each catatonic presentation as a syndrome with diverse possible etiology.

Cite this article as: Datta A, Mukherjee N. Intracranial space-occupying lesion presenting as catatonia in a patient of affective disorder with a history of recurrent catatonic episodes: A case report. Neuropsychiatr Invest. 2024;62(1):32-34.