Psychiatric disorders in handwriting: A review

Handwriting is a complex process that involves multiple regions of the brain and motor functions at its functional core. Throughout these neurobiological functions, psychological, cognitive, and emotional processes are engaged, making handwriting a unique trait of the individual, much like their personality. This is the reason why handwriting is such important scientific evidence in forensic investigations, however, its role could go beyond that and deeper into medical practice, as recent literature suggests. Although the basic patterns of handwriting remain fundamentally the same, the mental and emotional state of an individual might change some aspects and content of his or her writing. In some cases, traits might be proportionally linked to certain psychiatric disorders. This paper proposes a review of the physiological and psychological alterations that affect handwriting and analyses the possibility of using handwriting as a tool in clinical practice, diagnosis, and follow-up of patients, as well as an instrument that objectifies forensic psychiatric diagnostics.