Study Links Movement Patterns With Different Psychological Symptoms

New research has examined whether differences in the way people move may be associated with a range of psychological symptoms, including those related to anxiety, depression, mania, dissociation, substance use and psychosis.

Researchers from Northwestern University and collaborating institutions analysed data from 3,460 participants enrolled in the Multi-Site Assessment of Psychosis-Risk study. The analysis considered information about participants' movement and physical activity alongside reported psychological symptoms.

The researchers examined several aspects of movement, including coordination difficulties, involuntary movements and overall movement problems. They found that broader movement difficulties were associated, to varying degrees, with several of the psychological symptom areas included in the study.

The analysis also identified differences in physical activity. Greater physical activity was associated with symptoms related to mania and substance use, while lower activity levels were associated with symptoms involving detachment, fear and distress.

The researchers did not find a simple relationship in which one particular movement pattern corresponded to one specific psychological condition. Instead, the findings point towards relationships between motor characteristics and dimensions of psychological symptoms that can occur across different diagnostic categories.

The study uses a dimensional approach to psychopathology, considering symptoms as characteristics that can overlap across conventional mental-health diagnoses. This approach differs from treating each psychiatric disorder as an entirely separate category.

The findings do not establish that movement patterns can independently diagnose a mental-health condition. The researchers noted that further investigation, particularly involving people with clinically diagnosed mental disorders, is needed to determine how these relationships might be used in clinical research and practice.

The research adds to growing investigation into motor behaviour as another measurable aspect of psychological functioning. It also raises questions about whether changes in movement could eventually contribute additional information when researchers assess the relationship between physical behaviour and mental-health symptoms.

24-09-2026