In European psychiatric literature the emotional distance and lack of motivation produced by neuroleptic therapy are referred to with the term `neurolepsis' or `psycholepsis'.

In American literature the same phenomena are pointed out with the term `akinesia'. The author discusses similarities and differences between the two concepts and comments on the descriptive validity and constructvalidity of the concept of `akinesia'.

It is not yet clear whether these symptoms must be considered an element of Parkinson's syndrome.