PSYCHOSES WITH MYXEDEMA
RALPH M. CROWLEY M. D.1
1 Chestnut Lodge Sanitorium, Rockville, Md., and Washington, D. C.
1. Two cases of myxedema associated with psychosis are presented: in one, recovery seemed definitely dependent on thyroid medication, and in the other it did not.
2. Even in elderly and apparently senile individuals with myxedema, caution is needed in ascribing mental symptoms and disturbances in behavior to organic changes in the brain or even to hypofunctioning of the thyroid gland.
3. Emotional and personality factors need to be studied to understand the type of psychosis and personality reaction to the myxedema, and to understand the relapses due to neglect of medication.
4. Psychoanalytic investigation of persons with myxedema is desirable in order to answer the question as to what personality structure favors development of myxedema.
