Symptomatic Recovery from Medical Disorders

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
THE PURPOSES of this communication are to discuss some general considerations related to the proposition that psychological or emotional factors can significantly influence the course of medical disorders and to consider briefly the results of recent investigations of delayed convalescence following acute brucellosis and Asian influenza. For conceptual clarity, it is helpful to consider that there are different ways in which emotional factors can exert an influence on the course of any illness. Several of these factors are briefly described as follows: 1. Occasionally the emotional state or set of attitudes of the patient may be reflected in his inability or unwillingness to cooperate with the therapeutic regimen prescribed for him. This difficulty may be encountered, of course, in every degree of severity ranging from mildly annoying uncooperativeness to defiance of medical advice with tragic consequences. Such help-rejecting behavior may stem from a variety of psychological roots. For example,

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: