Obsessive Slowness : A Case Report

Obsessive slowness is described to be a syndrome of extreme slowness in ways various tasks are performed. Its existence as an independent syndrome is challenged by authors, who regard it to be a part of obsessive compulsive disorder. Behavioural techniques of prompting, pacing and shaping are recommended for treatment of this condition. We describe here a case of a 21 year old male patient who presented with debilitating slowness. Patient responded to a combination of behaviour therapy (thought habituation and exposure) and pharmacotherapy (fluoxetine and thyroxine). Diagnostic difficulties and management issues are highlighted.