Echopraxia in Schizophrenia

Abstract

The term echopraxia refers to the automatic repetition by an individual of visually perceived actions of others. It has been reported to occur in a variety of pathological mental states (Stengel, 1947). Descriptions of the phenomenon as it occurs in schizophrenia tend to be limited to a brief reference to its presence in catatonic patients, and it is not generally recognized to be a feature of the early stages of the illness. The purpose of this paper is to make an attempt to analyse the phenomenon, in discussing the subjective reports of a number of young schizophrenic patients who were interviewed in the early stages of their illness. Before proceeding to these reports it may be useful to examine briefly echopractic behaviour first as it is reported in normal development and then in clinical conditions, particularly chronic schizophrenia.