There is a long tradition to develop valid instruments for the exact assessment of psychomotor dysfunctions in psychiatry. However, progress is hampered by the complexity of emotionally driven movements in psychiatric patients.

Methods used up to now either remains unspecific due to only qualitative measurements or focus on the neurophysiological aspects too much.

Thus, the results accomplished so far are only very general unspecific concerning different groups of psychiatric patients. In this lecture, an own method are presented which are aimed to avoid the two poles above mentioned. Kinematic analyses of facial expressions provide quantitative and quite specific informations about psychomotor dysfunctions of psychiatric patients and the effects of psychotropic substances.

Thus, this methods are well suitable for relating them to other neurobiological parameters in order to contribute to the pathophysiological understandig of psychomotor symptoms and nonverbal behaviour in psychiatric patients.