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
_P. H._ The patient was bright and passed successfully
through high school. For seven years prior to the psychosis
she worked for the same company as clerk. She was described
as efficient, conscientious, systematic, though sometimes
upset by her work; as lively, talkative, cheerful, with
somewhat of a temper and easily hurt, also as quite
religious. She was more attached to her mother than to her
father, but still more to her older sister, whose death
precipitated her psychosis. She never had any love affair
and was said not to have cared for men. Two months before
admission, when her favorite sister was confined, the
patient was quite worried about her, but relieved when she
heard good news. A few hours later, however, the sister
died suddenly. When the patient learned of the sister’s
death, she screamed, and screamed several times at the
funeral. She did not cry, said she could not. After this
she slept poorly, seemed nervous, went to church more, but
there was no other change. She continued to work and,
according to the employer, worked well.
Nine days before admission she would not get out of bed in
the morning, said little and refused food. A few days later
she was induced to take a walk, but she seemed to have no
interest in anything. When she talked at all it was about
her sister and of wanting to go to a convent. When asked
to do anything she said she would if it were God’s will.
She did not menstruate after her sister’s death. When
practically recovered, the patient attributed her breakdown
to this tragedy. She added to the description above given
that, soon after losing her sister, she had a fright at
home. “It was the house in which my father died and one day
when I was in bed I thought somebody came in.” But she
denied a vision and could not further explain.
At the _Observation Pavilion_ she was very inactive, so
that she had to be fed and cared for in every way, mute,
often covering her head with a sheet, turning away when
questioned and resistive when the physical examination was
attempted. But at times she smiled or laughed.
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