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Catalepsy
(redirected from Waxy flexibility)

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
catalepsy (kăt`əlĕp'sē), pathological condition characterized by a loss of consciousness accompanied by rigidity of muscles that keeps limbs in any position in which they are placed. Attacks vary from several minutes to days and occur in a variety of clinical syndromes, most frequently in schizophrenia, epilepsy, and hysteria.
catalepsy
a state of prolonged rigid posture, occurring for example in schizophrenia or in hypnotic trances

catalepsy [′kad·əl‚ep·sē]
(psychology)
Suspended animation with loss of voluntary motion associated with hysteria and the schizophrenic reactions in humans, and with organic nervous system disease in animals.

Catalepsy 

the phenomenon of “waxy rigidity,” observed incatatonia or hypnotic sleep (hypnosis). With an increase in mus-cle tonus, there is an onset of rigidity (flexible rigidity), so thateither the entire body or the extremities remain in any positionin which they are placed.



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Catatonia's most common variant is the "stuporous" form, which is characterized by cataplexy, including waxy flexibility.
 
 
 
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