Statistical Manual for the Use of Institutions for the Insane (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: of any difficulty in thinking. The tendency is for the course to be a prolonged one. Arteriosclerotic depressions should be excluded. When agitated depressions of the involution period are clearly superimposed on a manic-depressive foundation with previous attacks (depression or excitement) they should for statistical purposes be classed in the manic-depressive group. 15. Dementia Praecox This group cannot be satisfactorily defined at the present time as there are still too many points at issue as to what constitute the essential clinical features of dementia praecox. A large majority of the cases which should go into this group may, however, be recognized without special difficulty, although there is an important smaller group of doubtful, atypical allied or transitional cases which from the standpoint of symptoms or prognosis occupy an uncertain clinical position. Cases formerly classed as allied to dementia praecox should be placed here rather than in the undiaguosed group. The term " schizophrenia " is now used by many writers instead of dementia praecox. The following mentioned features are sufficiently well established to be considered most characteristic of the dementia praecox type of reaction: A seclusive type of personality or one showing other evidences of abnormality in the development of the instincts and feelings. Appearance of defects of interest and discrepancies between thought on the one hand and the behavior-emotional reactions on the other. A gradual blunting of the emotions, indifference or silliness with serious defects of judgment and often hypochondriacal complaints, suspicions or ideas of reference. Development of peculiar trends, often fantastic ideas, with odd, impulsive or negativistic conduct not accounted for by any acute em...