A catatonic woman awakened after 20 years. Her story may change psychiatry. (washingtonpost.com)
Left: April Burrell at 19 as a bridesmaid in a family wedding in 1992. Right: April in 2022 during a family visit after treatment. (Illustration by Chelsea Conrad/The Washington Post; Family Photo; Tim Sorel) To read more of Richard Sima's article, please click here. New research suggests that a subset of patients with psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia may actually have autoimmune disease that attacks the brain. The young woman was catatonic, stuck at the nurses’ station —...