[Monothematic catathymic delusions in slowly progressive schizophrenia]

With special reference to erothomania in the framework of slowly progressive schizophrenia as a model, the author considers problems of psychopathology, the clinical picture and pathogenesis of sluggish form of endogenous delusional psychoses. Clinico-psychopathological descriptions of such cases, their differentiation from paranoiac variants of erothomanic delusional psychoses are given. It is also demonstrated that the clinical expression in slowly progressive processes may be related to mechanisms of a catathymic interpretation, common in the pathogenesis of morbid signs during the whole period of illness. As one of the leading major clinico-pathogenetic factors to which the slowly progressive development of delusional psychoses may be related is the clinical similarity of erothomanic delusional symptomatology with the constitutional traits of the patients.