'Personality and Psychosomatic Disturbances in Patients on Medical and Surgical Wards: A Survey of 450 Admissions.': Bela Mittelman, Arthur Weider, Keeve Brodman, David Wechsler and Harold G. Wolff. Psychosomatic Medicine, 1945, Vol. VII, No. 4, pp. 220–223.

The authors carried out a general hospital cross-section study to determine the incidence and interrelationship of personality problems in organic conditions of all kinds. 450 patients were examined by means of psychiatric (not psycho-analytic) interview. 20 per cent. of the patients had mild and 10 per cent. had severe neurotic disturbances. The patients with disorders of circulation had the highest incidence, 75 per cent. These were largely unrecognized by the physicians as complications. There were various neuroses, psychosomatic disturbances with and without evident psychopathology and psychopathic personality. In relation to the organic status the neuroses were pre-existent but aggravated by infection or trauma (30 per cent.), precipitated by infection or trauma (37 per cent.), in patients with serious defects in structure or function (20 per cent.), in patients without gross structural defect but with excessive complaints and disturbance of function (8 per cent.) and trauma resulting from personality disturbance (4 per cent.). Reassurance, explanations and superficial psychotherapy were helpful in shortening the hospital stay of many patients.