Catatonia?

I'm feeling pretty confused.

A lot of the time, when I'm faced with a heavy amount of stress, I shut down. What happens is that it becomes almost impossible to talk. I stare off and am completely unresponsive. It becomes difficult to concentrate and usually I find my mind occupied by simple things, such as a song or thinking about scenes from a tv show or movie...very easy things to think about despite the amount of stress I was presented with. I can become limp, but most of the time, I'm very rigid. I'm not really sure how long these periods last, but I'm not totally immobile as I can willfully get up and move if I have to, but it takes an exhorbatant amount of will power. I still tend to be unresponsive but my motor skills return. I might go back to feeling immobile if I relax and find it difficult to move again. Occasionally these moments come with a repetitive type of behavior, like scratching at something or tapping.

I heard some of these symptoms described and it was attributed to a catatonic stupor. I always thought that those symptoms were some kind of weird anxiety attack. But instead of panicing and becoming nervous, my body shuts down and seperates from what stressed me altogether.

Has anyone else had experiences like this?

Is that a response to stress though? What your describing to me could be interpreted as some symptoms of being depressed. The kind of episode I was talking about was a brief amount of time...an immediate response to stress where there is little to no response from me to other stimuli because it seems almost impossible, even if I try. Rigidity is also one of the main factors and repetitive behavior. Is it like that?

Lonenomad:

I confess I've never talked to anyone else who's experienced that. It sounds uncomfortable. Have you talked to your doc about it? Are you being treated for anxiety also?

serafena