Diagnostic assessment of movement disorders and psychomotor deficiency in residual schizophrenia

Abstract

Movement disorders and motor deficiency is highly represented among patients in Schizophrenia – residual type (DSM IV): 37% of patients examined in our research had psycho-motor disturbances. Dominant disturbances are the following: disturbed tonus among 65% of patients, abnormal postural reactions among 90%, abnormal voluntary movements among 75%, disturbed speech among 85%, disturbed static and dynamic postures among 90%. Involuntary movements are present among 20% of patients. Classic neurological diagnostics offers general assessment of the motor status. Standardized clinical motor scales only register the presence and intensity of the motor disturbance. Rehabilitation treatment requires individual and up to date functional diagnostics of the motor deficiency. We would like to stress that psychiatric patients in psychotic, (prepsychotic) and postpsychotic states, besides being mentally ill, also suffer from serious movement disorders (psychomotor disturbances and deficits) which put them into the category of disabled persons, who besides requiring psychiatric (neuropsychiatric) treatment, also require systematic psychomotor and speech rehabilitation.