Psychopathology and psychotherapy in chronic physically ill patients

Within the scope of psychosomatic medicine somato-psychic diseases are of great importance theoretically as well as practically, especially in view of problems dealing with the patient's attitude toward his illness and his coping with the disease. Among the somato-psychic illnesses chronic physical diseases are of primary interest. The knowledge of their general and specific psychological and psychopathological symptoms are of great importance for a better understanding of these patients and in view of a favourable direction in therapy. This is demonstrated in the form of extracts with three groups of the chronic physically ill: (1) hemophiliacs; (2) patients on regular hemodialysis treatment and following renal transplantation, and (3) diabetics.