PubMed · 14812399
The source did not provide an abstract. Follow the original record for more information.
Explore connections, maps & timelines
D D KULCSAR. 1951. Pseudocyesis.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14812399/
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.
KEEP EXPLORING
OBJECTIVE: The imagination of being transformed into an animal or being an animal is called lycanthropy. The phenomenon is presented and psychodynamical aspects are discussed. METHOD: A literature review forms the base of this discussion of a psychopathological phenomenon. RESULTS: The lycanthropic symptomatology represents a spectrum of continuity of developmental and culture-dependent normal behaviour via partial forms to the complete picture of lycanthropy. It is observed in different mental disorders. CONCLUSION: Lycanthropy is interpreted by the authors as a delusion in the sense of the self-identity disorder defined by Scharfetter. It is mainly found in affective and schizophrenic disorders but can be a symptom of other psychiatric disorders as well. Psychodynamically this kind of delusion can be interpreted as an attempt to project suppressed affects, especially with aggressive or sexual content, into the figure of an animal. Psychotherapy and/or neuroleptic medication can be effective.
Persuasive empirical support exists for a positive association between serious mental illness (SMI) and rates of violence; a great deal of support is also present for the clinical impression that psychotic symptoms sometimes motivate "symptom-consistent" violence. We propose that the issue of the motivation for violence in the SMI population can be considered independently of the issue of the association between SMI and violence rates. We review much of the current literature on the association between SMI and violence in a framework that emphasizes motivational influences unique to the SMI population. We conclude that the contribution of psychotic motivation to rates of violence in the SMI population is a major research issue. Furthermore, we believe that recognition of the independence of motivational influences and violence rates, and consideration of the impact of treatment on violence, may help explain the paradox of current research: Delusions and hallucinations may motivate violent behavior, but this psychotic motivation may not be reflected in the actual rate of violence.