Psychomotor retardation is a noticeable slowing of movements, speech, thinking and reaction to what is happening. A person may take longer to answer a question, initiate an action, make a decision, or complete a habitual task.
Sometimes others notice that a person begins to move more slowly, speak more quietly and less frequently, take longer to formulate answers, or spend a lot of time with virtually no movement.
Psychomotor retardation can occur with severe depression, but also occurs with other mental, neurological and somatic conditions, as well as during the action of certain medications or substances. This symptom alone does not allow a diagnosis to be made.
What is important to know
Psychomotor retardation is not just a feeling of fatigue. With it, the pace of actions and reactions slows down objectively or noticeably to others.
A person may know what he wants to do or say, but it takes him longer to move, formulate a thought, or react.
In depression, this slowing may be accompanied by depressed mood, lack of interest and pleasure, decreased energy, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, and feelings of hopelessness.
It is important to consider how pronounced the change is compared to the person's normal pace and whether it appeared gradually or suddenly.
How psychomotor retardation may manifest itself
The person or their loved ones may notice:
movements became slower than usual;
takes longer to get up, get dressed, or begin a task;
speech became slower and quieter;
there were long pauses between questions and answers;
it is more difficult to quickly switch between actions;
the thought process feels slow;
facial expressions and gestures have become less active;
a person sits or lies for a long time with almost no movement;
Even simple everyday activities require much more time.
What to pay attention to
When did the slowdown appear and how different is it from the normal state?
Did it arise gradually or suddenly?
Do others notice the changes?
Is there simultaneously depressed mood, anhedonia, apathy or severe fatigue.
Has it become more difficult to concentrate, make decisions, and formulate thoughts?
Has your sleep, appetite, or activity level changed?
Are there any muscle weakness, tremors, incoordination, dizziness or other neurological symptoms.
Whether the condition began after the prescription of a new drug or change in its dosage.
Whether alcohol, sedatives or other substances are used.
How slowness interferes with work, communication and basic daily activities.
How does it differ from fatigue and apathy?
When tired, a person first of all lacks strength, but the speed of movement and thinking does not necessarily change noticeably.
With apathy, motivation and initiative decrease - it is difficult to take action.
With psychomotor retardation, it is slowing down that comes to the fore: a person moves, speaks, thinks and reacts more slowly.
These symptoms may occur at the same time.
When to ask for help
Contact your doctor or mental health professional if psychomotor retardation persists, worsens, or noticeably affects your ability to work, communicate, or perform daily activities.
Consultation is especially important if the slowdown is accompanied by severe depression, refusal to eat and drink, a significant decrease in activity, or the person practically stops getting up, talking and reacting to others.
If severe lethargy appears suddenly, is accompanied by speech impairment, weakness or numbness of the limbs, confusion, loss of coordination or other acute neurological symptoms, urgent medical attention is needed.
This information does not replace an individual medical consultation.
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