Psychiatric study of a consecutive series of 34 patients with ulcerative colitis.

Psychiatric study of a consecutive series of 19 patients with regional ileitis.

“…The study parallels a similar survey (Feldman et al, 1967) in which we reported a series of 34 unselected cases of ulcerative colitis. In the latter inquiry a disease regarded by many psychiatrists as an unimpeachably psychosomatic illness was found to have probably no essential emotional causation.…”

Psychopathology and Verbal Expression in Psychosomatic and Psychoneurotic Patients

“…Attempts to define the psychopathology in psychosomatic patients have included descriptions of certain personality profiles [Dunbar, 1947], specific intrapsychic conflicts [Alexander, 1950], and measuring lev els of anxiety, depression or other neurotic symptoms. While many studies have demonstrated high levels of psychopathology in psychosomatic pa tients [McKegney et al, 1970;Weiner, 1977], other studies have shown no greater incidence of psychopathology than in normal populations [Feldman et al, 1967;Zealley et al, 1970], These conflicting results have failed to advance psychosomatic theory and sometimes led to the faulty conclusion that an illness cannot be considered psychosomatic when there is no mea surable psychopathology. Perhaps there is no direct etiological relationship between psychopathology, as traditionally defined, and psychosomatic dis order.…”

Large Bowel Disorders

“…On the other hand, other investigators, like Feldman et al (4), believe that there is little evidence that ulcerative colitis is precipitated by stressful events. Mendeloff e t al.…”