A STATISTICAL STUDY OF DELUSIONS IN THE MANIC-DEPRESSIVE PSYCHOSES

Abstract

A statistical study of delusions in 1009 cases of manic-depressive psychoses, with 1408 cases of schizophrenia and 496 cases of general paresis as controls leads to the following conclusions: delusions are absent in 43 per cent of the males and 41 per cent of the females in the manic-depressive group as compared with 10 per cent of the males and 7 per cent of the females in schizophrenia, and 39 per cent of the males and 42 per cent of the females in general paresis. The most common type of delusion to occur in the manic-depressive psychoses is the persecutory type which was present in 20 per cent of cases of manic-depressive psychoses. Persecutory delusions were likewise the most common delusion to occur in schizophrenia, there being 54 per cent of the males and 58 per cent of the females having such delusions. The incidence of persecutory delusions in general paresis was practically the same as in the manic-depressive psychoses, but males showed 27 per cent and females 12 per cent of grandiose delusions...