4th Occitan Psychomotor Conference: November 21, 2026

The relationship between psychomotricity and psychiatry, two closely related disciplines, stems primarily from the shared history of their clinical presentation. Indeed, it has long been established that many people with mental disorders (depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, etc.) exhibit psychomotor symptoms that include, depending on the context, psychomotor agitation, impulsivity, stereotypies, psychomotor retardation, catatonia, mild neurological signs, or deficits in perception and nonverbal communication involved in interpersonal relationships (Balsters et al., 2012; Deniker et al., 1990; Sanders & Keshavan, 1998; Walther, 2015). Long before Ajuriaguerra, the pioneers of modern psychiatry—Griesinger, Kahlbaum, Wernicke, Kraepelin, Bleuler, Kleist, and later Leonhard—assigned these psychomotor manifestations a central role in the description and definition of mental disorders, with some of them doing so as early as the mid-19th century.

The shift brought about by the exponential growth of psychopharmacology during the^20th century significantly contributed to a decline in interest in psychomotor manifestations in psychiatry. Other, more ideological developments veered toward the most simplistic form of reductionism, viewing psychomotor disorders as exclusively secondary to the presence of psychopathologies or unconscious conflicts. However, while the presence of psychomotor disorders in patients initially presenting with psychiatric disorders is not a new finding, it does not necessarily imply a causal relationship in which psychiatric disorders constitute the causal factor behind pathological or atypical psychomotor manifestations.

Crucially, the direction of the relationship between these two categories can now be viewed in reverse: a growing body of research indeed points to psychiatric consequences resulting from the initial presence of psychomotor disorders. Whether we consider, for example, developmental coordination disorder (DCD) in children, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or certain forms of dystonia in adults, recent research suggests that these fundamentally psychomotor disorders significantly increase the risk of developing mental disorders from the perspective of developmental trajectories (Draghi et al., 2021; Eng et al., 2023; Escobar et al., 2023; Riglin et al., 2021).

Internationally, interest in psychomotor symptoms has been revived in psychiatry in recent years, including with regard to their cerebral correlates (Lozano-Goupil et al., 2025; Morrens et al., 2017; Northoff et al., 2021; Walther, 2015; Walther & Heckers, 2024). This has led to a rapid expansion of research in the field, coupled with the gradual reintroduction of psychomotor symptoms into diagnostic criteria in certain classifications of mental disorders. On the other hand, knowledge regarding psychomotor disorders and their psychopathological consequences, including in older adults, continues to be documented (e.g., regarding ADHD in older adults: Fischer & Nilsen, 2024).

In addition to the historical accounts of the pioneers of psychomotricity that are gradually coming to light (Foucher et al., 2021), what further insights does contemporary scientific research offer regarding psychomotor symptoms in psychiatric disorders? Why and in what ways do psychomotor disorders ultimately impact mental health in individuals who were initially free of psychiatric disorders? What do recent studies contribute to our understanding of psychomotor semiology in psychiatry, and vice versa? How can we take a fresh look at the links between psychomotricity and psychiatry and reinvent psychomotor practices in light of current data?

It is becoming clear that new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches will emerge in the near future, particularly thanks to new technologies and AI, and that psychomotor therapists, psychiatrists, neurologists, and healthcare professionals should seize the opportunities offered by this fresh perspective on psychomotor and psychiatric disorders. The ambitious goal of this 4th JOP will therefore be to enable psychomotor therapists and healthcare professionals from all fields to update their knowledge on the links between psychomotor therapy and psychiatry across all stages of life, and to define the new contours of future clinical practices.

We hope to see many of you there—as always, in a friendly atmosphere!

References:

JH Balsters, M., J Krahmer, E., GJ Swerts, M., & JJM Vingerhoets, A. (2012). Verbal and nonverbal correlates of depression: a review. Current Psychiatry Reviews, 8(3), 227–234.

Draghi, T. T. G., Cavalcante Neto, J. L., & Tudella, E. (2021). Symptoms of anxiety and depression in schoolchildren with and without developmental coordination disorder. Journal of Health Psychology, 26(10), 1519-1527.

Eng, A. G., Phan, J. M., Shirtcliff, E. A., Eisenlohr-Moul, T. A., Goh, P. K., & Martel, M. M. (2023). Aging and pubertal development differentially predict symptoms of ADHD, depression, and impairment in children and adolescents: An eight-year longitudinal study. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 51(6), 819-832.

Escobar, A. M., Pringsheim, T., Goodarzi, Z., & Martino, D. (2021). The prevalence of depression in adult-onset idiopathic dystonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 125, 221–230.

Fischer, S., & Nilsen, C. (2024). ADHD in older adults—a scoping review. Aging & Mental Health, 28(9), 1189–1196.

Foucher, J. R., Jeanjean, L. C., de Billy, C. C., Pfuhlmann, B., Clauss, J. M., Obrecht, A., … & Hirjak, D. (2022). The polysemous concepts of psychomotricity and catatonia: a European multi-consensus perspective. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 56, 60–73.

Lozano-Goupil, J., Shankman, S. A., Walther, S., Wuethrich, F., Maher, R. E., Grzelak, L. N., & Mittal, V. A. (2025). Automatic quantification of hand gestures in current and remitted Major Depressive Disorder during oral expression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 389, 119684.

Morrens, M., Hulstijn, W., & Sabbe, B. (2007). Psychomotor slowing in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 33(4), 1038–1053.

Northoff, G., Hirjak, D., Wolf, R. C., Magioncalda, P., & Martino, M. (2021). All roads lead to the motor cortex: psychomotor mechanisms and their biochemical modulation in psychiatric disorders. Molecular Psychiatry, 26(1), 92–102.

Riglin, L., Leppert, B., Dardani, C., Thapar, A. K., Rice, F., O’Donovan, M. C., … & Thapar, A. (2021). ADHD and depression: investigating a causal explanation. Psychological Medicine, 51(11), 1890–1897.

Sanders, R. D., & Keshavan, M. S. (1998). The neurologic examination in adult psychiatry: from soft signs to hard science. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 10(4), 395-404.

Walther, S. (2015). Psychomotor symptoms of schizophrenia and their mapping onto the cerebral motor circuit. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 233(3), 293–298.

Walther, S., & Heckers, S. (2024). Mapping psychomotor behavior in the brain. JAMA Psychiatry, 81(1), 7–8.