Psychophysiological Correlates of La Belle Indifférence

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Abstract
OF the many unusual and puzzling clinical phenomena seen in the field of psychiatry, one of the most striking is that ofla belle indifférence. In the face of what would appear to be disabling and frightening physical impairment, the patient remains calm and apparently emotionally uninvolved with his symptoms. Althoughla belle indifferenceis historically one of the first psychiatric phenomena to be elaborated clinically and despite speculation over the years as to its cause and meaning, little empirical investigation has been conducted.1Most of the writings that deal with this phenomenon appear more concerned with its usefulness or inapplicability as a defining criterion for the diagnosis of hysteria than with understanding the phenomenon itself.2-5An important exception is Laughlin6who is perhaps the only author in present time to elaborate on the nature ofla belle indifférenceand to suggest

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