Psychomotor impairment getting worse?

[Juniper29]

Is it common for psychomotor retardation to get worse with each depressive episode? I feel like my depression was less apparent to others when I was younger even when it was severe. Now I get maybe moderately depressed and people around me can tell. I move and think and talk more slowly, my voice is flat, my face feels paralyzed when I try to smile or have any expression at all. I'm wondering if others have had this experience.

[Juniper29]

Anyone had this experience or know something about it?

[Complicated toad]

I don't know anything scientific about it, but I have had the same experience.  I have had episodes since early teens but in my mid 30's is when I really noticed the profound heaviness in my legs and difficulty moving, and now I'm my 40's I have gone to doctors a few times during episodes because I am having such a hard time functioning physically.  It feels like a three month flu when my brain slows down so much that it freaks family out, they'll find me standing in a room totally blanked out and not moving at all, it takes me three times as long to do anything because I keep freezing up.

I also remember my mom in her late 40's developing the flat voice like you describe.  It was unnerving to me as a kid/teen when her voice would change completely into a flat monotone for weeks at a time, then go back to normal.

[Juniper29]

Thanks, that's really interesting. I'm in my 30s and have had episodes since my teens.

[Iceberg]

What does your pdoc say about it? 

[Juniper29]

45 minutes ago, Iceberg said:

What does your pdoc say about it? 

Just that it's a classic symptom of depression.