Patient 18: Catatonic Schizophrenia Interview

The interview is a part of a longer psychiatric interview series, produced for the Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, by the Motion Picture Division, Theatre Arts Department, University of California, Los Angeles in the year 1961. The young man is identified as patient number 18 .

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Catatonic schizophrenia is serious neurological or psychological condition in which two kinds of behaviors are typically displayed: stupor and motor rigidity or excitement. When people experience rigidity or stupor, they are unable to speak, respond or even move.

Catatonia: Our current understanding of its diagnosis ...

Catatonic Schizophrenia

Psychiatric interview series, patient no. 18 : evaluation for diagnosis

Author: University of California (System). Extension Media Center.
Publisher: Berkeley, Calif. : University of California, Extension Media Center, 1961.
Edition/Format: Film : Film : State or province government publication Visual material : English
Summary:
Shows a brief interview with a young man, a student, who demonstrates negativism in a catatonic schizophrenic.
Rating:
based on 2 rating(s) 2 with reviews
Subjects
Catatonia.
Schizophrenia -- Personal narratives.
Schizophrenia.

Different stories as to who patient 18 was and how his life turned out have emerged since the video became viral. These stories are interwoven from internet derived rumors and comments of those who supposedly knew him. Medical records on patient 18 are few.
Below story looks like the most plausible one .

This man was my uncle. I'm not going to give any names, but for those of you who are concerned with how things turned out for him, not well. There's so much to address here. First let me say that he was being treated in this video with meds. Without the medication his mood ranged from complete delusion to catatonic. As for being gay, I don't think he had much of a sex drive at all. With or without meds. As for the idea that he was put here because he was gay by some unloving family, that's ridiculous.I don't have time to say all the things my family tried just to make his existence somewhat peaceful just for his own sake.
My family had a couple of openly homosexual and lesbians in it even back in the sixties and with the exception of my mother's father no one gave a shit. My uncle suffered with meds and even more without. After forty some odd years, most of which he spent in institutions, he took his own life by way of drug overdose. By the way, the comment about the plot twist, he never had a piano was funny because he didn't. His seeming obsession with piano came and went as did obsessions with religion, especially the Catholic Church and government. As far as I know he couldn't play a lick.
He was very ill at his best and a living shell at his worst. I hope that answers some questions because that's all I have to say on the matter. He's been gone since the late eighties and I really hope that other members of my family don't see this video, mostly because of the comments from people that somehow think they understand him better than the people who suffered with him. One last thing, I think people thought that he was talking about sitting or standing effeminately or something. No, he was talking about sitting or standing motionless for hours. Usually not even his facial expression would change but when it did it was usually related to something in his mind only. I really can't begin to tell you all how heartbreaking the whole thing was. He did seem intelligent and with meds he did remind me of a high functioning guy with autism I once met.