Automatism is a phenomenon in which someone makes a gesture or movement without conscious volition. On a low level, it can take the form of a fidget or tic which the person cannot control and may not be aware of. On a more advanced level, people can engage in acts like holding conversations, driving cars, and so forth, without actually controlling their options. While automatism often pops in the newspaper in the “how strange” section, it can actually be very serious, and is far from a curiosity for people who experience it and the people around them.
There are a number of reasons for automatism to occur. In some cases, certain medications can cause people to engage in activities as though they are awake when they are actually not conscious. Certain psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia are also associated with automatism, as are neurological conditions like seizures. In some types of seizures, people can engage in acts which appear voluntary while they are actually undergoing a seizure.
Once automatism is recognized in a patient, there are a number of treatment options. Making family and friends aware of the fact that someone may do something without actually choosing to do so can ensure that people will watch out for obvious dangers. Sometimes, adjusting medications will eliminate the problem, or working with the patient in psychotherapy will help the patient address the automatism so that it happens less frequently.
Famously, automatism has been used as a legal defense on several occasions and in various legal cases. The legal argument for this is that while the perpetrator may have committed the act in question, the perpetrator lacked the will to commit the crime, acting literally as an automaton or robot. Therefore, it would be unreasonable to hold the defendant accountable for the crime, since the defendant couldn't have controlled the actions which led to the commission of a crime.
When automatism is used in a court of law, the defendant usually needs to undergo extensive screening. Obviously, many defendants would love to wiggle out of responsibility for a crime by claiming that they acted without volition, so it is critical to determine whether or not the defendant could have exhibited automatism at the time of the crime. A history of such acts can bolster the case, as can an evaluation in which the patient demonstrably has a condition associated with the phenomenon of automatism.