Personality Defects and Psychiatric Symptoms after Cerebrospinal Fever in Childhood: Meningococcal Encephalopathy

Abstract

Until quite recently the mortality from cerebrospinal spinal fever was considerable, and those who survived the illness were considered lucky to be alive at all. As a result of chemotherapy, which has already reduced the case mortality to less than 9 per cent., more and more persons are likely to recover and present new problems. That some of these survivors may continue to complain of symptoms which incapacitatate them for work for prolonged periods has been borne out by some recent contributions (Pai, 1944; Degenet al., 1945; MacKieth, 1945; Ballard and Miller, 1945). In a previous paper (Pai, 1945) it was pointed out that some of these symptoms were psychogenic in origin, and others probably physiogenic, due to organic changes in the brain. Among the latter symptoms were changes in personality, intellectual deterioration, mild but persistent depression, occasional disorders of conduct and pronounced tendencies to invalidism. As personality consists to a great extent of several patterns of behaviour acquired in infancy and childhood, it was decided to study a group of patients who had cerebrospinal spinal fever in early life, in order to determine to what extent this illness had contributed to the development or the warping of the personality in each patient.