Mental diseases: a public health problemMay, James Vance
Science
Mental diseases: a public health problem
May, James Vance
Mental health services; Psychology, Pathological
Gregor[258] in 1907 made a careful analysis of seventy-two cases. He
classified these in seven groups: 1. Neurasthenia; 2. Acute stuporous
dementia; 3. Amentia (acute confusional insanity); 4. Acute delirium;
5. Katatonia; 6. Anxiety psychoses; and 7. Manic-depressive insanity.
The neurasthenic cases (9.72 per cent) exhibited headache, pain in the
gastric region, vertigo, paresthesia and lassitude, with a sense of
unrest and anxiety as well as ill-defined apprehensions. There was a
sense of mental incapacity and feeling of illness, together with a mild
depression and hypochondriacal tendencies. The cases diagnosed as acute
dementia (13.88 per cent) were of the same general type but with more
advanced symptoms. These showed a decided stupor, tending to remission,
deep mental depression, a sense of insufficiency and "peculiar
subjective troubles." The tendency to suicide was prominent and caused
this group to be called melancholia by some. Many cases showed the
gradual development of an affectless stupor. Catatonic symptoms and
stereotypies occasionally occurred. Memory disturbances were well
marked in this form. The psychoses disappeared invariably with the
symptoms of the pellagra. The Amentia group (44.44 per cent) included
long-continued cases with remission and intermissions. Terrifying
hallucinations and violent motor excitement appeared frequently,
followed by a stupor which was sometimes interrupted by delirium.
Hallucinations were usually present and some had dream states. These
cases often terminate unfavorably. Acute delirium constituted 2.7 per
cent of the seventy-two cases, and katatonia occurred in 13.8 per cent.
These cases passed rapidly into dementia. Anxiety psychoses (4.16
per cent) were diagnosed in a few instances, but were complicated
by occasional stupors. Two and seven-tenths per cent of the cases
were classified as manic-depressive insanity. Mobley, according to
Babcock, found the following types represented at the Georgia State
Sanitarium:—1. Acute intoxication psychosis, with psychomotor
suspension; 2. Infective exhaustive psychosis, with psychomotor
retardation or excitation; 3. Symptomatic melancholia with psychomotor
retardation; and 4. Manic-depressive psychoses.
Singer[259] in 1915 suggested the following classification of the
psychoses associated with pellagra:—
1. Disorders directly due to the pellagra toxin:
(a) Symptomatic depression; (b) Delirious pictures.
2. Disorders based on peculiarities in personal make-up, the attack of
"insanity" being precipitated by pellagra;
(a) Manic-depressive disorders; (b) Hysteria; (c) Psychasthenia; (d)
Dementia praecox; (e) Paranoic developments; and
3. Disorders due to definite brain changes with pellagra merely as a
complication:
(a) Arteriosclerotic dementia; (b) Senile dementia; (c) Presenile
psychoses; (d) General paralysis of the insane.
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