Benign Stupors: A Study of a New Manic-Depressive Reaction TypeHoch, August
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Benign Stupors: A Study of a New Manic-Depressive Reaction Type
Hoch, August
Manic-depressive illness; Stupor
A similar picture was presented in state 2 of Mary D. (See Chapter I,
Case 4.) Here, to be sure, there were more marked stupor features in
that the patient wet and soiled, in addition to occasional spells when
she lay with her head raised. But she spoke and acted fairly freely
(even while soiling). By her replies she showed a considerable
intellectual inefficiency, although, like Anna G., her orientation was
not seriously disturbed. Here again there was complete affectlessness.
This gives us, therefore, five states which may be analyzed for the
symptoms of partial stupor. The pictures of all five are unusually
consistent. There is inactivity, marked but not complete; poverty of
affect without perfect apathy; and a marked interference with the
intellectual processes. The last can be studied better than in the deep
stupors because these partial cases are more or less accessible to
examination. There is a tendency for the patient to think much of death
either in the onset or during the psychosis. Negativism seems much less
prominent than in the deep stupors.
A natural criticism is that these cases merely had retarded depressions.
Although this topic will be discussed fully in a later chapter, two
differential characteristics should be mentioned now. First, depression
is a highly emotional state in which the sadness of the patient is as
evident from his facial and vocal expression as from what he says, while
these stupor reactions are by observation and confession states of
indifference. Secondly, there is no such disturbance of the intellectual
processes in depression as is here chronicled. Let the retardation once
be overcome so that the will is exercised and no real defect is
demonstrable. In our experience the cases of apparent depression with
intellectual incapacity are found on closer study to be really stupors
as other symptoms show.
CHAPTER III
SUICIDAL CASES
An important “catatonic” symptom is a tendency to sudden, impulsive,
unexplainable acts. Such actions occur occasionally in benign stupors
and, since we attempt an understanding of the reaction as a whole, an
effort should be made to study these phenomena as well. The cases chosen
showed persistent, quite affectless, yet very impulsive attempts at
self-injury. They characterized the first of the three cases throughout,
were present in one stage (the second) of the second patient, while in
the last for one day there was behavior which can be similarly
interpreted.
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