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AIIMS Rishikesh NO - 2019
Mental Health Nursing
Easy

Psychomotor activity changes in anxiety?

Appeared in: AIIMS Rishikesh NO - 2019

Explanation

  • Anxiety is fundamentally a state of high arousal, which manifests physically as increased motor activity.
  • This is known as psychomotor agitation and includes behaviors like restlessness, fidgeting, rapid tapping of hands or feet, and pacing.
  • The source literature confirms that restlessness and agitation are common in anxiety disorders, driven by a sense of inner tension.
  • Behaviorally, this can present as excessive activity, such as frantic cleaning or taking on too many projects as a way to manage the internal state of worry.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option B: Decreased psychomotor activity, or psychomotor retardation, is a classic sign of major depressive disorder, not anxiety.
  • Option C: This describes a disturbance in mood regulation (affect), not physical movement. Emotional lability is about the rapid fluctuation of emotions.
  • Option D: Decreased emotional lability suggests a blunted or flat affect, which is contrary to the typical presentation of anxiety. It is more characteristic of conditions like schizophrenia or severe depression.

Related Visual

side chart illustrating the contrasting symptoms of anxiety and depression, highlighting key differences in psychomotor activity, mood, thought content, and sleep patterns.
Clinical Relevance
  • Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Psychomotor changes in anxiety disorders as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
  • Assessing psychomotor activity is a critical component of the Mental Status Examination (MSE). It provides objective data that helps differentiate between anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric conditions.
  • A change in a patient's psychomotor activity can be an early indicator of a change in their clinical status. For example, increasing agitation may signal worsening anxiety or an adverse reaction to medication (like akathisia), requiring prompt nursing intervention.
  • What if? If a patient being treated for depression suddenly develops increased psychomotor activity, pacing, and rapid speech, the nurse must consider the possibility of a medication-induced switch to a hypomanic or manic state and notify the provider immediately.
How to Approach the Question
  • First, break down the question. Identify the core concepts: 'Psychomotor activity' (physical movement related to mental processes) and 'anxiety'.
  • Recall the common, observable signs of a person experiencing anxiety. They are often described as 'on edge,' 'restless,' or 'fidgety.'
  • This recollection directly points to an increase in physical activity.
  • Next, evaluate the options. 'Activity Increased' aligns with your clinical recall.
  • Consider the distractors. 'Activity decreased' is the opposite and is strongly associated with depression. 'Emotional lability' relates to mood, not the physical movement the question asks about.
  • Therefore, the most accurate answer is that psychomotor activity is increased in anxiety.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Psychomotor changes in anxiety disorders
  • Stem keywords: Psychomotor activity, anxiety
  • Lead-in keywords: changes

Question ID

QGWke9_qNIALYmbYXoBWyR

Reference Book

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) pp. 3896-3898, 13713-13715

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