An overview of Catatonia Catatonia is a severe motor syndrome with an estimated prevalence among psychiatric inpatients of about 10%. Catatonia can accompany many psychiatric illnesses and somatic diseases. A minority of catatonic patients suffer from schizophrenia, while a majority has a bipolar disorder. They have also linked catatonia to other psychiatric disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or withdrawal from alcohol or benzodiazepines. In up to 25% of cases, they relate catatonia with general medical or neurologic conditions. Recent studies show repeatedly that catatonic symptoms are observable in most patients diagnosed with anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis. In adolescents and young adults with autism, we find catatonia in 12–17%. Pediatric catatonia also emerges in patients with tic disorders, and a variety of other (developmental) disorders. The same principles of evaluation and treatment seem to apply to pediatric pat