The Literature

Abstract

Lack of space prevents us following the scientific custom of discussing and detailing findings documented in the literature worldwide. Reference to a few selected general reviews and competent secondary literature must suffice: Dohrenwend and Dohrenwend (1980), Schwidder (1972), Cooper and Morgan (1977), Häfner (1978), Katschnig (1977, 1980), Pflanz (1973), and Schepank (1986, 1987). It seems important to us that, as reflected in up-to-date reviews, the psychogenic disorders were almost totally ignored prior to World War II and that epidemiological psychiatric studies from that time therefore typically provide no reliable data. Unfortunately it is also true that most later carefully conducted and sound (field) studies have investigated total psychiatric morbidity.