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Psychosomatic Medicine 18:284-303 (1956)
© 1956 American Psychosomatic Society

Psychological Factors and Reticuloendothelial Disease

II. Observations on a Group of Women with Lymphomas and Leukemias

WILLIAM A. GREENE JR. M.D.1, LAWRENCE E. YOUNG M.D.1, and SCOTT N. SWISHER M.D.1

1 Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and Strong Memorial Hospital and Rochester Municipal Hospital Rochester, N.Y.

Observations are reported on 32 women with lymphocytic, myelocytic, or monocytic leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, reticulum-cell sarcoma, and lymphosarcoma. It is inferred that all of these women had had an unresolved attachment to their mother. Individually they presented various personality characteristics and could be divided into four groups, designated as mothering, clinging, isolated, and manly.

The occurrence of various types of losses, separations, or threats of separation in a period 4 years prior to the apparent onset of the lymphoma or leukemia is described. These included the loss of a significant person such as the mother, father, husband, or child by death or illness. Also included as a loss are the menopause, natural or surgical, and a change of home. Half of such separations or losses during the 4-year prodromal period occurred during 1 year prior to the apparent onset.

The symptoms of these patients during months or weeks prior to the apparent onset are described and the frequency of fatigue, weakness, sadness, anorexia, and nausea is noted. The majority of the patients showed an affect of sadness or hopelessness for weeks or months prior to the apparent onset.

Psychological manifestations during the established disease are described, particularly the occurrence of exacerbations of the lymphomatous or leukemic process during times of interpersonal stress, such as separations. Data are also presented suggesting a correlation between personality characteristics and the duration of the lymphoma or leukemia.

From this additional material on these woman patients, we consider that one of the multiple conditions determining development of lymphoma and leukemia in adults may be separation from a key object or goal with ensuing depression.

Submitted on August 1, 1955




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Copyright © 1956 by the American Psychosomatic Society