[Patterns in the recurrence and transformation of alcoholic psychoses developing against a pathologic background...

A clinical and statistical study has covered 689 patients with alcoholic psychoses developing against the pathologic background. The study of the correlation between the form of attacks and the type of the disease course has demonstrated some highly probable variants of relapse development and transformation of the clinical forms of alcoholic psychoses in subsequent bouts. Two variants of the course of alcoholic psychoses have been identified. In the first variant psychoses show no tendency to recur and transform while the second one is associated with their relapses and transformation. These findings make it possible to infer that the presence of pathologic background is a factor of risk and to outline on this basis the measures to prevent the development and relapse of alcoholic psychoses.