Perseveration—The Clinical Symptoms—In Chronic Schizophrenia and Organic Dementia

In the controversy over the nature of schizophrenic “dementia” the weight of opinion has fallen on the side that emphasizes the differences which exist between this state and organic cerebral degenerations. While acknowledging these differences, it is important also to draw attention to the similarities between the impairment of chronic schizophrenia and the defect of organic dementia as it occurs in the elderly. We have chosen to compare the extent of perseveration in the two groups because this is a neglected field and because objective tests of such behaviour are readily devised.