PSYCHOMOTOR EXCITEMENT

A general state of physical and psychological overactivity.The excited patient is constantly on the move but totally unproductive because he constantly shifts from activity to activity and does not finish one task before starting another. His train of thought is equally rapid, and he shifts from one idea to another without warning. In this “flight of ideas” there is often little more than a superficial connection between one thought or one word and the next—for example, the sound of a word may introduce an entirely new idea (clang association). His flow of talk is therefore a continuous series of digressions and interruptions.The patient’s emotions are equally volatile, and he may reach a manic state in which he becomes excited, effervescent and irrepressible. He talks glibly, has a ready solution for every problem, and suggests the wildest schemes with complete confidence and assurance.The most typical manifestations of psychomotor excitement can be found in the “pressure of speech” and “pressure of activity” that accompany the manic phase of manic-depressive psychosis