Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T16:26:33.443Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Political Hazards in the Diagnosis of ‘Sluggish Schizophrenia’

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Harold Merskey*
Affiliation:
University of Western Ontario; London Psychiatric Hospital, 850 Highbury Avenue, P. O. Box 2532, Terminal “A”, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 4HL
Bronislava Shafran
Affiliation:
3450 Wayne Avenue (Nr 15A), Bronx, New York 10467, USA; Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University, New York, USA
*
Correspondence

Abstract

The concept of ‘sluggish schizophrenia’ is virtually limited to the USSR and some other East European countries, and may contribute to the mis-diagnosis of democrats as psychiatric patients. Recently, a number of articles have appeared in the Soviet literature relating the diagnosis of ‘sluggish schizophrenia’ or ‘slowly progressive schizophrenia’ to affective disorders, especially hypomania. Soviet publications on this theme from 1980 to 1984 are discussed, together with their relationship to questions on the abuse of psychiatry.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 1986 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Avedisova, A. S. (1982) Onset of slowly progressive schizophrenia with exacerbations during the involutional period. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 1, 9197.Google Scholar
Axel, M. (1955) Ten borderline cases: A report on the question of pseudoneurotic schizophrenia. Psychiatry Quarterly, 29, 555583.Google Scholar
Bleuler, E. (1911) Dementia Praecox oder Gruppe der Schizophrenien. Leipzig.Google Scholar
Bloch, S. & Reddaway, P. (1984) Soviet Psychiatric Abuse. The Shadow Over World Psychiatry. London: Gollancz.Google Scholar
Boiarshinova, T. N. (1982) Role of psychological factors in socio-occupational adaptation of patients with slowly-progressing schizophrenia. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 12, 7783.Google Scholar
Boleloutskii, Z. (1982) Psychopharmacologic approach to studying various problems in slowly progressive schizophrenia. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 1, 105110.Google Scholar
Bonnet, M. (1979) Des formes atypiques d'excitation de l'humeur ou les excitations et les manies masques. Lyon Medical, 241, 2534 (cit. Moroz, 1983).Google Scholar
Bumke, O. (1924) Lehrbuch der Geisteskrankheiten. Munchen.Google Scholar
Committee on the Judiciary, US Senate (1972) Report No. 59/S: An in-patient forensic psychiatric diagnosis of P. G. Grigorenko. In Hearing Before the Subcommittee to Investigate the Administration of the Internal Security Act and Other Internal Security Laws. Washington: US Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
Dubnitskaia, E. B. (1980) Monothematic catathymic delusions in slowly progressive schizophrenia. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 8, 11791187.Google Scholar
Dubnitskaia, E. B. & Korsun, I. V. (1984). Family background characteristics in slowly-progressive schizophrenia. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 1, 5663.Google Scholar
Ewald, G. (1925) Archiv der Psychiatrische Nervenkrankheit, 5, 665.Google Scholar
Goldberg, D. & Huxley, P. (1980) Mental Illness in the Community: The Pathway to Psychiatric Care. London: Tavistock Publications.Google Scholar
Hamel, J. & Vernet, P. (1921) Contribution à l'étude de la manie chronique. L'Encéphale, 16B, 515526.Google Scholar
Holland, J. & Shakhmatova-Pavlova, I. V. (1977) Concept and classification of schizophrenia in the Soviet Union. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 3, 2, 277287.Google Scholar
Johnson, D. A. W. (1973) The side-effects of fluphenazinc decanoate. British Journal of Psychiatry, 123, 519522.Google Scholar
Kazanetz, E. P. (1979) Differentiating exogenous psychiatric illness from schizophrenia. Archives of General Psychiatry, 36, 740745.Google Scholar
Khodorovich, T. (ed.) (1976) The Case of Leonid Plyushch. London: C. Hurst & Co.Google Scholar
Kolesina, N. I. (1981) Reactive depression in patients with slowly progressive schizophrenia. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 4, 561567.Google Scholar
Kondratiev, I. V. (1977) In Voprosi sozialnoy i'Klinitcheskoy psichoneurologii M., pp. 4452. (cit. Moroz, 1983).Google Scholar
Korsakoff, S. S. (1901) Kurs Psichiatrie, 2nd edition, 2, 824.Google Scholar
Lader, M. (1977) Psychiatry on Trial. Harmondsworth: Penguin.Google Scholar
Leonhard, K. (1957) Die cycloiden, meist als Schizophrenien verkannten psychosen (Cycloid psychoses, often erroneously considered as schizophrenia). Psychiatrie, Neurologie Pund medizinische Psychologie (Leipzig), 9 Bd 12, 359365.Google Scholar
Makhova, T. A. (1982) Features of the course of sluggish psychopathic-like schizophrenia, its diagnosis and forensic psychiatric significance. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 5, 113119.Google Scholar
Mayer-Gross, W., Slater, E. & Roth, M. (1960) Clinical Psychiatry, 2nd edition. London: Cassell.Google Scholar
Much lin, V. M. & Burbulia, E. A. (1980) Prepsychotic period in schizophrenic patients first arising and becoming acute in advanced age. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 5, 726731.Google Scholar
Morkovkina, I. V. (1983) Problem of reactive delusion formation in slowly progressive schizophrenia. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 1, 8693.Google Scholar
Moroz, I. B. (1983) Slowly progressive schizophrenia with signs of chronic hypomania during its course. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 1, 7985.Google Scholar
Moroz, I. B. & Nefedev, O. P. (1982) Chronic hypomania as a stage of acquired cyclothymia. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 9, 7379.Google Scholar
Nunn, C. M. H. (1979) Mixed affective states and the natural history of manic–depressive psychosis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 153160.Google Scholar
Reich, W. (1980) The Case of General Grigorenko. A Second Opinion. Encounter, 54, 924.Google Scholar
Nunn, C. M. H. (1981) Psychiatric diagnosis as an ethical problem. In Psychiatric Ethics, eds Bloch, S. & Chodoff, P. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Rostovskii, E. P. (1982) Slowly progressing schizophrenia with exacerbations during the involutional period. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 5, 107113.Google Scholar
Royal College of Psychiatrists (1976) Mr Leonid Plyushch. British Journal of Psychiatry, March 1976, News and Notes, 12.Google Scholar
Sarsembaev, K. T. (1983) Early criteria for social–vocational prognosis of sluggish schizophrenia. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 5, 716720.Google Scholar
Schmidt, Y., Morozov, G., Badalyan, L. et al (1973) A Letter from the Presidium of the All-Union Society of Neurologists and Psychiatrists to The Guardian . Reprinted in Russia's Political Hospitals (eds Bloch, S. & Reddaway, P.). London: Victor Gollancz (1977).Google Scholar
Sheinin, L. M. (1983) Various features of paroxysmal–progressive schizophrenia associated with alcoholism according to the results of dispensary observation. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 9, 13831389.Google Scholar
Shepherd, M., Cooper, B., Brown, A. C. & Kalton, G. W. (1966) Psychiatric Illness in General Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Shternberg, E. I., Druzhinina, T. A., Kontsevoi, V. A. & Molchanova, E. K. (1980). Progressiveness of schizophrenia. II: The progressiveness of continuously proceeding forms of schizophrenia. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 1, 9096.Google Scholar
Smulevttch, A. B. (1980) Independence of the slowly progressive form of schizophrenia. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychialry, 80, 11711179.Google Scholar
Smulevttch, A. B. (1981) Differentiated psychopharmacotherapy in anxiety states of slowly progressive schizophrenia. Agressologie, 22, 3132.Google Scholar
Smulevttch, A. B. Nefedev, O. P., Orlova, V. A. & Mazaeva, N. A. (1983) Concerning one variant of sustained psychopathic-like states in patients with slowly progressing schizophrenia (on the problem of residual schizophrenia). Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 3, 99106.Google Scholar
Snezhnevsky, A. V. (1971) The symptomatology, clinical forms and nosology of schizophrenia. In Modern Perspectives in World Psychiatry, ed. Howells, J. G. New York: Brunner/Mazel.Google Scholar
Snezhnevsky, A. V. & Vartanyan, M. (1970) The forms of schizophrenia and their biological correlates. In Biochemistry, Schizophrenias and Affective Illnesses, ed. Himwich, H. E. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.Google Scholar
Specht, G. (1908) Ueber die klinische Kardinalfrage der Paranoia. Zeitblatt Nervenheilkunde. 5, 817833.Google Scholar
Srole, L., Langner, T. S., Michael, S. T., Opler, M. K. & Rennie, T. A. C. (1962) Mental Health in the Metropolis: The Midtown Manhattan Study, Vol. 1. New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Sudakov, K. V., Kamenskaia, V. M., Titaeva, M. A., Uryvaev, I. V. & Polishchuk, I. I. (1980) Reflection of stable dominant states in the EEG of schizophrenic and alcoholic patients. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 9, 13771383.Google Scholar
Vilenskii, O. G. & Kolomiichenko, L. N. (1983) Clinical features and work capacity of patients with sluggish schizophrenia and a hypochondriacal syndrome. Korsakoff Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry, 5, 728732.Google Scholar
Wernicke, C. (1923) Grundriss der Psychiatrie in Klinischen Vorlesungen. Leipzig.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (1973) Report on The International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia. Vol. 1: Results of the Initial Evaluation Phase. Geneva: World Health Organization.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.