GC: n
S: OSMOSIS – https://www.osmosis.org/answers/catalepsy (last access: 14 January 2025); CT – https://www.choosingtherapy.com/catalepsy/ (last access: 14 January 2025).
N: 1.”an attack or abnormal state of muscular rigidity in the limbs,” late 14c., cathalempsia, from Medieval Latin catalepsia, from Late Latin catalepsis, from Greek καταληψις katalepsis “a seizure, a seizing upon, a taking possession,” from καταλέπτος kataleptos “seized,” from καταλαμβανειν katalambanein “to seize upon,” from kata “down” (see cata-) + lambanein “to take” (see lemma).
also from late 14c.
2. A condition of diminished responsiveness usually characterized by a trancelike state and constantly maintained immobility, often with cerea flexibilitas. Affected individuals may remain in one position for minutes, days, or even longer. adj., adj catalep´tic.
3. Medicine > Mental Disorders.
- The passive induction of a posture held against gravity.
4. Catalepsy can be affected by several factors and is present in both mood and psychotic disorders. Researchers believe that catalepsy occurs when specific dopamine receptors are blocked, and the blockage may cause motor behavior inhibition.4 Additionally, catalepsy appears to be a side effect of taking antipsychotic drugs for psychotic disorders, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
5. Cultural Interrelation: The Premature Burial (1844) is a story written by Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). The story taps into a fear which many people claim to harbour: taphephobia, or the fear of being buried alive. As a frequent victim of catalepsy, the narrator has obsessive fears and horrible nightmares that he will be buried alive while comatose. As a precaution, he supplies his tomb with escape routes and provisions. Once, upon awakening, he feels trapped in a coffin not of his making. After realizing that he has fallen asleep in a ship’s narrow berth, he conquers his morbid fears.
S: Etimonline – https://www.etymonline.com/word/catalepsy#etymonline_v_27783 (last access: 14 January 2025). 2. TFD – https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/catalepsy (last access: 14 January 2025). 3. TERMIUM PLUS – https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-eng.html?lang=eng&i=1&srchtxt=catalepsia&index=alt&codom2nd_wet=1#resultrecs (last access: 2 January 2025). 4. CT – https://www.choosingtherapy.com/catalepsy/ (last access: 14 January 2025); EncBrit – https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Premature-Burial. 5. ILIT – https://interestingliterature.com/2020/06/edgar-allan-poe-premature-burial-summary-analysis/html (last access: 15 January 2025).
SYN:
S:
CR: narcolepsy
