Mental diseases: a public health problemMay, James Vance
Science
Mental diseases: a public health problem
May, James Vance
Mental health services; Psychology, Pathological
"Under (b) 'Post-infectious psychoses' are to be grouped deliria,
the mild forms of mental confusion, or the depressive, irritable,
suspicious reactions which occur during the period of convalescence
from infectious diseases. Physical asthenia and prostration are
undoubtedly important factors in these conditions and differentiation
from 'exhaustion deliria' must depend chiefly on the history and
obvious close relationship to the preceding infectious disease. (Some
cases which fail to recover show a peculiar mental enfeeblement.) In
this group should be classed the 'cerebropathica psychica toxaemica'
or the non-alcoholic polyneuritic psychoses following an infectious
disease as typhoid, influenza, septicaemia, etc.
"Under (c) 'Exhaustion deliria' are to be classed psychoses in which
physical exhaustion, not associated with or the result of an infectious
disease, is the chief precipitating cause of the mental disorder,
_e.g._, hemorrhage, severe physical over-exertion, deprivation of food,
prolonged insomnia, debility from wasting disease, etc.
"Of the psychoses which occur with diseases of the ductless glands, the
best known are the thyroigenous mental disorders. Disturbance of the
pituitary or of the adrenal function is often associated with mental
symptoms.
"According to the etiology and symptoms the following types should
therefore be specified under 'Psychoses with Other Somatic Diseases':
"(a) Delirium with infectious disease (specify)
"(b) Post-infectious psychosis (specify)
"(c) Exhaustion delirium
"(d) Delirium of unknown origin
"(e) Cardio-renal disease
"(f) Diseases of the ductless glands (specify)
"(g) Other diseases or conditions (to be specified)."
A study of 480 cases of psychoses with other somatic diseases reported
from the New York state hospitals during 1918 and 1919 shows the
following types represented:—
_Number_ _Percentage_
Delirium with infectious diseases 68 14.16
Post-infectious psychoses 102 21.25
Exhaustion delirium 94 19.58
Delirium of unknown origin 36 7.50
Cardio-renal diseases 69 14.37
Diseases of the ductless glands 20 4.16
Other conditions 91 18.90
An analysis of 140 cases from the Massachusetts state hospitals in 1919
shows the following:—
_Number_ _Percentage_
Delirium with infectious diseases 48 34.28
Post-infectious psychoses 25 17.85
Exhaustion delirium 26 18.57
Delirium of unknown origin 6 4.28
Cardio-renal diseases 16 11.42
Diseases of the ductless glands 1 .71
Other conditions 18 12.85
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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