[Videotape methods for assessing nonverbal cues of behavior in depressive syndromes (author's transl)]

We proceed from an earlier study with a behaviour-oriented judging scale and report a first attempt of quantifying systematically non-verbal elements of behaviour, taking into account the time-course of drug induced amelioration of psychopathology. The study is based on 7 cases of psychotic agitated depressions. We analyzed 4 video-taped interviews of every patient which were recorded during an antidepressant drug period of 21 days. Frequency respectively duration of defined modes of hand movements, classified with reference to Freedman were registered without sound and under the condition of time-blindness. We found a monotonous decrease of "continuous body-focused movements" in correlation with a redcution of the AMP item "depressive agitation". On account of this finding we consider a decrease of "continuous body-focused movements" as an objective indicator for amelioration of depressive agitation. A comparison between the activity of the two hands yielded a pronounced left-weightiness of object-focused, continuous body-focused and discrete body-focused movements in contrast to findings on normal persons. It seems to be remarkable that only the two latter modes of hand movements show a tendency to symmetry in the course of clinical improvement. Neuroethological implications of these findings are discussed.