Extreme tonus; muscular rigidity; a common symptom in catatonic schizophrenia.
2.
A form of schizophrenia characterized by a tendency to remain in a fixed stuporous state for long periods; the catatonia may give way to short periods of extreme excitement. Synonyms:catatonic schizophrenia, catatonic type schizophrenia.
... "Catatonia," he said distastefully. "He spent his life thinking he was smarter than anybody else—smarter, probably, than all the universe. He believed it. He couldn't face the fact that he was wrong. He couldn't stay conscious and not know it. So he's blacked out. He refuses to be anything unless ... — Space Tug • Murray Leinster
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