The inability to sit down because of the intense anxiety provoked by the thought of doing so: Wade, the patient of Dr. Jones, was an interesting example of someone suffering from acathisia as indicated by the fact that he was unable to relax and sit down in the doctor's office.

Acathisias may also apply to the inabilities that some people have of not being able to sit still and to other irritative, hyperkinetic symptoms that are sometimes seen as complications of neuroleptic therapies.