PSYCHOMOTOR DISTURBANCE IN DEPRESSION - DEFINING THE CONSTRUCTS

Four hundred and thirteen depressed patients were rated on eighteen si gns of psychomotor disturbance, and the data examined by factor analys es. A three-factor solution was favoured. In addition to 'retardation' and 'agitation' dimensions (whose derived factor scores suggested ind ependence of those two dimensions), a third 'non-interactive' dimensio n was evident - with derived factor scores correlating significantly w ith both the retardation and agitation dimensions. Thus, a 'trunk and branch' analogy was suggested for construing psychomotor disturbance, with a truncal 'psychic' component arborising into retardation and agi tation 'motoric' expressions. Higher scores on all three factors were significantly linked with features weighted more to the melancholic 't ype' of depression.