[Do psychomotor symptoms predict the treatment response of patients with depressive disorders?].

BACKGROUND: Patients with depressive disorders may present with typical psychomotor symptoms such as retardation and/or agitation. So far, however,the prognostic significance of these symptoms is unclear. AIM: To present an overview in which we assess to what extent psychomotor symptoms can predict the effect of the type of treatment that patients with depressive disorders receive. METHOD: We searched the literature using Medline. RESULTS: Psychomotor symptoms might predict that the patient will respond more favourably to treatment with dopaminergic antidepressants and broad-spectrum antidepressants (TCAs) and particularly to electroconvulsive therapy than to 'single-acting serotonergic antidepressants' - but, so far, the scientific evidence for the foregoing is limited. CONCLUSION: In our view psychomotor symptoms do have a predictive value with regard to treatment response, but further research is needed.