[Internal picture of the disease in neurotic cardiophobias]

The authors investigated the characteristics of the patient's insight into the disease in 80 patients (45 males, 35 females, mean age, 32 years) with neuroses with the cardialgophobic syndrome. To exclude organic pathology, all patients were subjected to EEG and ECG; in 55 patients the central and peripheral hemodynamics were also studied. Psychological examination was carried out using the method of the semantic differential. The data obtained were processed by a correlational analysis. The authors have identified differences in the patient's insight into the disease in asthenic and hysterical neuroses, which point to differing mechanisms of the formation of the cardialgophobic syndrome in them and involvement in these mechanisms of the patient's insight into the disease. The experience with differential pathogenetic therapy based on the findings is described.