抄録
Fifty-four patients complaining of abnormal s ensations of the pharynx and larynx received psychological screening tests and psychological interviews along with various somatic tests available in the otorhinolaryngological outpatient clinic. In 18 of these patients, in whom psychogenic and psychopathic causes were suspected, the mechanism of development was evaluated. The clinical diagnosis of neurosis was made in 8, depression in 8, senestopathia in 1 and psychosomatic disease in 1, suggesting an unexpected usefulness of psychological tests. Positive answers suggesting a hypochondric tendency were uniformly obtained, indicating certain relationships between abnormal sensation of the pharynx and hypochondric tendency. Cancer-phobia and a foreign body sensation were detected in 11 of 18 patients. A psychological etiology of these symptoms were strongly suggested. Recent changes in disease awareness, including an increase awareness of malignancy of the pharynx and larynx has possibly influenced psychologically unstable patients. The obsessive-compulsive tendency seen in many of these patients may also explain this phenomenon. The hypochondric tendency, obssesive-compulsive tendency, and cancer-phobia emphasize the importance of the present social-cultural conditions in the dynamic disease picture.
