Hostname: page-component-7b9c58cd5d-6tpvb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-03-23T08:45:17.048Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Unsubstantiated Complaints of being Poisoned Psychopathology of Patients Referred to the National Poisons Unit

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Elizabeth A. Hutchesson  and
Glyn N. Volans
Elizabeth A. Hutchesson
Affiliation:
Guy's Hospital, London; United Sheffield Hospitals
Glyn N. Volans*
Affiliation:
National Poisons Unit
*
∗New Cross Hospital, Avonley Road, London SE14 5ER
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The psychopathology of a series of patients referred to a combined psychiatric-toxicological assessment service with the specific complaint of being, or having been, poisoned is described, and related to the nature of their exposure to incriminated agents. The need for and value of this service are discussed.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 154 , Issue 1 , January 1989 , pp. 34 - 40
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arthur, A. Z. (1964) Theories and explanations of delusions: a review. American Journal of Psychiatry, 121, 105–115.Google Scholar
Boxer, P. A. (1985) Occupational mass psychogenic illness. Journal of Occupational Medicine, 27, 867–872.Google Scholar
Brodsky, C. M. (1983a) Psychological factors contributing to somatoform diseases attributed to the workplace. Journal of Occupational Medicine, 25, 459–464.Google Scholar
Brodsky, C. M. (1983b) “Allergic to everything”: a medical subculture. Psychosomatics, 24, 731–732, 734–736, 740–742.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Christie, A. (1961) The Pale Horse. London: Collins.Google Scholar
Colligan, M. J. (1981) Mass psychogenic illness: some clarification and perspectives. Journal of Occupational Medicine, 23, 635–638.Google Scholar
Comstock, E. G. (1978) Morbidity due to non-poisoning. Journal of Occupational Medicine, 20, 755–758.Google Scholar
Connolly, F. H. & Gittleson, N. L. (1971) The relationship between delusions of sexual change and olfactory and gustatory hallucinations in schizophrenia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 119, 443–444.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eisenbruch, M. (1983) Wind illness or somatic depression? A case study in psychiatric anthropology. British Journal of Psychiatry, 143, 323–326.Google Scholar
Fein, G. G., Schwartz, P. M., Jacobson, S. W., et al (1983) Environmental toxins and behavioural development: a new role for psychological research. American Psychologist, 38, 1188–1197.Google Scholar
Furlong, R. (1982) Personal meanings in cancer. In Personal Meanings: the first Guy's Symposium on the Individual Frame of Reference (eds Shepherd, E. & Watson, J. P.). London: J. Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Garety, P. (1985) Delusions: problems in definition and measurement. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 58, 25–34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heider, F. (1958) The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations. New York: J. Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Janis, I. L. (1974) Vigilance and decision making in personal crisis. In Coping and Adaptation (eds Coelho, G. V., Hamburg, D. A. & Adams, J. E.). New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Jaspers, K. (1959) Translated (1963) as General Psychopathology by Hoenig, J. & Hamilton, M. W. Manchester: Manchester University Press.Google Scholar
Johnson, W. G., Ross, J. M. & Mastria, M. A. (1977) Case report. Delusional behaviour: an attributional analysis of development and modification. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 86, 421–426.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kelley, H. H. (1967) Attribution theory in social psychology. In Nebruska Symposium on Motivation (ed. Levine, D.). Lincoln, Nebruska: University of Nebruska Press.Google Scholar
Kelley, H. H. & Michela, J. L. (1980) Attribution theory and research. In Annual Review of Psychology, 31 (eds Rosenweig, M. & Porter, L.). Palo Alto, California: Annual Review Inc.Google Scholar
Lazaurs, R. S. & Folkman, S. (1984) Stress Appraisal and Coping. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Lee, W. R. (1981) What happens in lead poisoning? Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of London, 15, 48–54.Google Scholar
McKenna, P. J. (1984) Disorders with overvalued ideas. British Journal of Psychiatry, 145, 579–585.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Markowitz, J. S., Gutterman, E. M. & Link, B. G. (1986) Self reported physical and psychological effects following a Malathion pesticide incident. Journal of Occupational Medicine, 28, 377–383.Google Scholar
Mawson, D. (1985) Delusions of poisoning. Medicine, Science and the Law, 25, 279–287.Google Scholar
Mechanic, D. (1961) The concept of illness behaviour. Journal of Chronic Diseases, 15, 189–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mowat, R. (1966) Morbid Jealousy and Murder. London: Tavistock Press.Google Scholar
Murray, R. (1978) The emotional impact of chemicals. Journal of Occupational Medicine, 20, 267–268.Google ScholarPubMed
O'Donaohue, J. L., Nasr, A. N. M. & Raleigh, R. L. (1977) Toxic neuropathy – an overview. Journal of Occupational Medicine, 19, 379–382.Google Scholar
Perley, M. J. & Guze, S. B. (1962) Hysteria – the stability and usefulness of clinical criteria. New England Journal of Medicine, 266, 421–426.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ray, C., Linop, J. & Gibson, S. (1982) The concept of coping. Psychological Medicine, 12, 385–395.Google Scholar
Sayers, D. (1930) Strong Poison. London: Gollancz.Google Scholar
Scharfetter, C. (1976) Translated (1980) as General Psychopathology by Marshall, H. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Shepherd, M. (1961) Morbid jealousy: some clinical and social aspects of a psychiatric symptom. Journal of Mental Science, 107, 687–703.Google Scholar
Varsamis, J., Adamson, J. D. & Sigurdson, W. F. (1972) Schizophrenics with delusions of poisoning. British Journal of Psychiatry, 121, 673–675.Google Scholar
Weiss, B. (1983) Behavioural toxicology and environmental health science: opportunity and challenge for psychology. American Psychologist, 1174–1187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wernicke, C. (1900) Grundriss der Psychiatrie. Leipzig: Verlag von Georg Thieme.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.