Risk factors for catatonia
Anyone can have catatonia, no matter the age or gender. However, women have a higher risk of developing the disease, and the risk increases with age. Which means that older women are more prone to the disease and should pay more attention to its symptoms.
Catatonia has historically been associated with schizophrenia, but not anymore. It is now classified as its own type of disorder; this is because there have been cases where the catatonic patient does not show signs of schizophrenia. An estimated 10 percent of acutely ill psychiatric inpatient experience catatonia. Twenty percent of catatonic inpatients have schizophrenia diagnoses, while 45 percent have mood disorder diagnosis.
Other risk factors include, low salt concentration in the blood, cocaine use, the use of medication such as ciprofloxacin. Women with postpartum depression (PPD) may experience catatonia.