[Paranoid reactions and psychoses of the involutional age]

The first part of the paper gives a view of paranoid conditions and the criteria used for differentiation using the international classification of diseases of the world-health organisation. With this background the paranoid psychoses occurring characteristically during midlife are presented in their typical expression. In the second part using own investigations the characteristic course is presented using syndromal and course-related criteria. In the third part of the paper the relationship of this psychoses to midlife from psychological and sociological viewpoints will be addressed with the conclusion to extrapolate from the total group of paranoid psychoses. In the closing fourth part they will be mentioned as characteristic examples of a multidimensional therapeutic endeavour.