Definition
Echopraxia refers to a pathological automatic imitative response, or desire to mimic other’s behaviors. Echopraxia occurs in a semi-automatic manner and is independent of patient insight.
Description
Echopraxia can manifest in a variety of conditions such as in epilepsy, catatonic states such as those observed in patients with schizophrenia, mood disorders, or autism, during states of fatigue, clouded sensorium, or in other conditions such as Ganser syndrome, as well as in other neurological disorders and frontal lobe diseases. Culture-specific syndromes that may exhibit echopraxia include Latah, amurakh, and Imu. Individuals may exhibit echopractic behaviors that are either indiscriminate or selective in respect to their environment. Although echopractic behaviors may occur while observing another’s movements, patients may also echo mental images or...
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Odland, A.P., Mittenberg, W. (2011). Echopraxia. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_938
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_938
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