What is akathisia?
New York Post • • health
Key Points:
- Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson is experiencing a recurrence of akathisia, a neurological condition causing severe restlessness and mental distress, linked to his diagnosis of chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) from mold exposure last August.
- Peterson’s condition worsened after contracting pneumonia and sepsis a month following his CIRS diagnosis, complicating symptoms related to a prior neurological injury.
- Akathisia, often associated with antipsychotic medications, is in Peterson’s case attributed to immune system dysfunction from CIRS, with no psych medications taken since January 2020, according to his daughter Mikhaila.
- The condition involves an uncontrollable urge to move and can be misdiagnosed as anxiety or other psychiatric disorders; it is diagnosed clinically using the Barnes Akathisia-Rating Scale.
- While there is no definitive treatment, options include adjusting medications and using beta-blockers or benzodiazepines; untreated akathisia can severely impact quality of life and increase the risk of suicidal thoughts.
