Clinical psychomotor retardation and attention in depression

The importance of the cognitive component in depressive clinical psychomotor retardation is well-recognized, but the underlying information-processing dysfunction has not been precisely investigated. Thirty unmedicated major depressives were concurrently assessed using the Depressive Retardation Rating Scale (DRRS) and an attentional battery in order to evaluate selective and divided attention. Results were analysed following dimensional and categorical approaches. The depressive episode intensity and the associated anxiety did not correlate with any of the attentional variables. However, significant correlations were observed between the DRRS score and every attentional task. Results of the categorical analysis contrasting attentional performances of depressives with and without clinical psychomotor retardation argued for the existence of a link between psychomotor retardation and a global attentional deficit. This study attests to the value of clinical psychomotor retardation as a predictor of cognitive deficits in depressed patients.