catatonic

• IPA^(key): /kæ.təˈtɑn.ɪk/

  Rhymes: -ɒnɪk

catatonic (comparative more catatonic, superlative most catatonic)

1. (medicine) Of, relating to, or suffering from catatonia; (loosely) motionless and unresponsive, as from shock; withdrawn.
   • 1967, unnamed doctor in 1967, Frederick Wiseman (director), Titicut Follies (documentary film), quoted in 2004, Jerrold R. Brandell (editor), Celluloid Couches, Cinematic Clients, page 118,

     However, he was looking a lot more catatonic and depressed before and sometimes we find that on the anti-depressants you remove the depression and uncover the paranoid stuff and we may have to give him larger quantities of tranquilizers just to tone this down.

   • 2004, William Meninger, 1012 Monastery Road: A Spiritual Journey‎, page 19:

     Further and further he would withdraw from the world, becoming more and more catatonic — withdrawing completely from his hateful world to the only real and secure comfort he had ever known, the womb.

   • 2006, David H. Brendel, Healing Psychiatry‎, page 119:

     It was plausible that Cara became more catatonic in order to avoid a painful and overwhelming confrontation with terrifying but repressed memories of child abuse.

   • 2009, Nicole Chénier-Cullen, I Found My Thrill on Parliament Hill‎, page 37:

     The fact that he was not twirling his kiss curl underscored his catatonic state of mind. I didn't know who was more catatonic—Brentwood, the minister, or myself.

   • 2011, T. F. Bohn, Dirty Jerry: Faith In the Real World‎, page 64:

     A very young Ensign, in his first real contact with combat conditions, was in charge but was almost of no use as he began to hyper-ventilate and became more and more catatonic the closer they got to shore.

catatonic (plural catatonics)

1. (medicine) A patient in a state of catatonia.
   • 1953, Canadian Journal of Psychology: Revue Canadienne de Psychologie, Volume 7, page 120,

     An inspection of Table IV shows that the catatonics have the lowest mean reversal score of all the groups.

   • 1973, Oliver Sacks, Awakenings, unnumbered page,

     I thought of children released from school; I thought of spring-awakenings after winter-sleeps; I thought of the Sleeping Beauty; and I also thought, with some foreboding, of catatonics, suddenly frenzied.

   • 1991, Dean Turner, Escape from God: The Use of Religion and Philosophy to Evade Responsibility‎, page 92:

     All outward signs suggest that catatonics have ceased being subjects by virtue of having transformed themselves into veritable objects.

• toccatina