The Neuroses in War
- Type:
Book Reviews
:Author:By various Authors.
neurosis among civilians, for, in the former case, though the conflicts always include the indi- vidual’s personality and background, the precipitating factor is the stress of war and the object of treatment is to return the man fit to continue service. Suggestion, and hypno- analysis are practical methods which had good results in the last war and with members of the Services collective hypnosis is a time-saving device. The need to reveal to the patient the meaning of his symptoms and their motivation is the aim of psychological analysis. An appendix on psychiatric pharmacology contains certain methods of drug therapy for emergency use.
A great deal can be learned from the experi- ences of the psychiatric organization in the past, and Drs. Wilson and Wittkower advocate two principles, namely, prophylactic elimination of unsuitable men and early treatment of casualties as near the line as is possible. They urge that the common anxiety case should be recognized by the authorities.
Civilians have not the advantage of being members of an organized group and Dr Bion in discussing the War of Nerves makes a number of constructive suggestions based on psycho- logical understanding as to how the civilian may attain the soldier’s morale yet retain his civilian status.
In conclusion Dr H. Crichton-Miller stresses the need for observers to think in terms of the total personality and, for the benefit of those with little knowledge of psychopathology, defines Hysteria as a social condition and anxiety as an individual one.
The impression one gets after reading this book is that the Authors from their personal experience of nervous disorder gained in the last war and in peacetime have offered their knowledge and opinions, but while they anticipate similar forms of breakdown in the present war they are pre- pared to modify and even change their views in accordance with fresh experience. For the medical officer this book will be a source of interesting information about the men and women he will have to treat whether in the Services or in civilian practice. For the layman, while a certain amount of the material is technical and requires specialized knowledge, there are several chapters, notably those by Drs. Miller and Bion, which he will find to be of personal interest. L.M.M.
Edited by Emanuel Miller, M.A., M.R.C.P., D.P.M., with a concluding chapter by H. Crichton-Miller, M.D., F.R.C.P. Mac- millan & Co., Ltd. 10s. 6d.
The twelve authors of this book have worked together as a team to give to the public at a time When it is most needed a comprehensive account ?f the neuroses of war. In the preface the Editor ^ates that one reason for presenting this subject ls that from their clinical experiences of the last ^ar they expect a high incidence of neurosis in this war, not only in the Services but among civilians, and also that to most medical men Psychological medicine requires a specialist’s Mention.
Each chapter may be regarded as an essay on ? Particular aspect of the subject and while there ls a certain amount of overlapping this enables the reader to appreciate differences of point of view and approach, not so much to the theory of Psychological disorder, but to the mentally sick ^dividual.
The literature is surveyed in the first chapter, and far from being an international bibliography ^, a masterpiece of clear thinking by Drs. ^ittkower and Spillane. Dr Millais Culpin has drawn on his notes taken during the last war 0 give vivid pictures of the mode of onset of . reakdown among soldiers. The clinical study ^continued by Drs. Emanuel Miller, A. T. M. Wilson and Eric Wittkower, who classify the yarieties of neurosis and psychosis, describing 111 Particular the psycho-somatic disorders only gently acknowledged, notably Effort Syndrome, hypertension, Stress Dyspepsia, Peptic Ulcer, fc- Precise differentiation between organic and Actional diseases is not now expected as the Patient is seen as an individual bodily ill through ^otional disturbance. R.G.G. and Dr. onald Hargreaves nevertheless indicate the ‘?Terence between reversible functional illness irreversible functional disease.
Dr Miller’s remark that the psychopathology War neurosis is an illustration of the way in flJch men escape from disaster and court it at and the same time concludes an excellent aPter describing the theory of these disorders, f reatment occupies three chapters and its various jP^s are dealt with by Dr Frederick Dillon, -j/- J- A. Hadfield and Dr Maurice Wright. Soi!r emPhasize that mental breakdown in sj 1(hers during wartime is comparatively a much ^Pler problem to deal with than peacetime
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