Depressive Psychosis in the Obsessional Neurotic

The occurrence of depressive psychosis in the obsessional neurotic has been noted by Prichard (1835), Heilbronner (1912), Gordon (1925 and 1950), Vurpas and Corman (1933), Lewis (1934), Stengel (1945 and 1948), Terhune (1949), Pollitt (1956 and 1957), Reda and Paretti (1958), and Skoog (1959). Apart from Freud (1923), Vurpas and Corman and Pollitt, the general view is that such cases fare worse than other depressives. It is still uncertain in what ways, if any, a pre-existing obsessional neurosis modifies a superimposed depressive psychosis. The uncertainty is due to the lack of a large controlled series, the provision of which is the purpose of this study.