A Clinical Investigation of Chronic Schizophrenia

Abstract

A detailed scheme of classification of schizophrenia has been produced by Professor K. Kleist and elaborated by Professor K. Leonhard (Kleist, 1943, 1949; Kleist et al., 1950, 1951; Kleist and Schwab, 1951; Leonhard, 1936, 1957; Schwab, 1949). The validity of this scheme has been established by other investigators (Schneider, 1955; Schulte-von der Stein, 1955). An English summary of the Kleist-Leonhard scheme has recently been published (Fish, 1957). In 1955 an attempt to classify the chronic schizophrenics in the Female Division of St. Nicholas Hospital, Gosforth, according to the Kleist-Leonhard scheme was begun. By means of reading the case notes, enquiring from the medical and nursing staff and short clinical interviews it was provisionally concluded that there were 243 chronic schizophrenics in the female division with an illness of more than 10 years' duration. These patients were investigated clinically, but by the time the author took up his present appointment only 107 cases had been seen. An attempt was made, however, to investigate approximately the same proportion of patients from each ward of the female division with the exception of the geriatric ward. This series seemed to be a fairly representative sample of the chronic female schizophrenics.