A case history analysis of the "manic type" and the "melancholic type" of premorbid personality in affectively ill patients.

The use of case histories in examining the premorbid personality of affectively ill patients is especially useful in the case of patients with a predominantly manic course of the disorder, because this kind of affective illness is very rare. The concept of the "manic type" of premorbid personality is described in detail and contrasted with the concept of the "melancholic type" often found in patients with a purely depressive course of the illness.