[On the symptomatological meaning of the others-intruding symptoms].
There is a group of patients who insist as follows: "Someone comes into my room during my absence and removes, conceals or steals my belongings. In addition the intruder sometimes scatters about dirty things." "A young man living just across from my room is always observing me and criticizing my behavior." The others-intruding symptoms like those above are frequently harbored by the female patients of paranoia and schizophrenia. However, these symptoms are rarely seen in male patients. My study shows that fourteen out of fifty-six female employees patients having the paranoic or schizophrenic symptoms had the so-called others-intruding symptoms. At the time of visiting the psychiatric department of the center, the ages of the patients varied from 18 to 51 years old and five cases were in their thirties. Ten patients were single and two cases were divorced. Most of these patients were living alone. In some cases, the others-intruding symptoms faded away after the patients began living with their family members. In eight cases, there was a change of residence before the appearance of the symptoms. The patients have the following character traits: assertive, obstinate, unstable, unsociable and lacking adaptability. Although some patients showed mood fluctuations, they consistently displayed their delusion which distinguished them from maniac depressive patients. More than half of the patients showed neither the severe personality disorders nor rapid deterioration which are typically seen in the schizophrenic process. The patients of others-intruding symptoms have the same experience as those of mysophobia. The patients believe someone or something dirty invade their private space and deprive them of their cleanliness, freedom and security. In contrast, the patients of anthrpophobia and egorrhea feel that they are shunned by others because of something dirty which goes out of the patient's ego and threatens others. Usually the delusion of persecution accompanies the others-intruding symptoms; however the others-intruding patients exhibit no feelings of guilt. This is quite contrary to the symptoms of egorrhoea. The patients of these two types of symptoms are different in ages, character traits, duration of the symptoms, suicide rate, attitude towards therapy and therapists. We can postulate the following symptomatic spectrum: subclinical anthropophobia, anthropophobia, paranoia of delusion of egorrhoea, two types of schizophrenia paranoia of others-intruding delusion, mysophobia, subclinical mysophobia.
Takano
R
R
Department of Psychiatry NTT Tokyo Health Administration Center.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003702:Delusions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012563:Schizophrenia, Paranoid / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors