title: Evaluation of a screening interview for Briquet syndrome (hysteria) by the study of medically ill women.
abstract: A screening interview for Briquet syndrome consisting of 14 symptom questions was administered to a group of 50 medically ill women. No patient was found eligible for a diagnosis of Briquet syndrome, a frequency less than the estimated general population prevalence of 1% to 2%. When symptoms explainable by known organic disorder were considered positive, 14% of patients became eligible for the diagnosis. We consider this a low enough rate to allow screening by lay interviewers. A frequency distribution of symptoms comparing the medically ill women and a group of psychiatric clinic women with Briquet syndrome shows that the Briquet group had both more symptoms and distinctive patterns of symptoms.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001259:Ataxia / Q000150:complications; D003291:Conversion Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D007046:Hysteria / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications; D014839:Vomiting / Q000150:complications