[Refining the indications for atropine-coma therapy].

Atropine-comatose therapy was performed in 18 patients with schizophrenia and disorders in the framework of an obsessive-syndrome. Improvement was seen in 11 of the 18 patients. A psychopathological analysis of obsessive disorders in this group of patients demonstrated that they were characterized by manifold traits, instability, abstract content of obsessions, a tendency towards their complication and expansion of obsessional disturbances. The absence of any effect was seen in 7 of the cases. They were characterized by montony, monomorphism, everday content and by their structure were near to constitutionally conditioned psychasthenic doubtfulness.