Functional or Organic Psychosis

Abstract

Four cases are described in which typhoid infections presented with various psychiatric pictures and minimal or absent physical disturbance. In all four there was little or no evidence of confusion or impairment of consciousness, which is the pattern of psychiatric disturbance more usually seen in infections. Instead, the presenting pictures were of catatonic schizophrenia, depression. hypont; UHO an I hysteria respectively. T h e implications of this for epidemiological studies are considered I 1 that clear cut distinctions between organic and functional symptoms cart be made , particularly in societies with much background organic disc possibility that catatonia is an organic rather than a functional symptom discussed.