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(Continued from Vol. I, page 451)
“Radical Treatment of Chronic Paranoia,”1 DR. PAUL BJERRE, Stockholm.
The patient was a woman of fifty-three, unmarried, with systematized delusions of persecution of ten years duration. She came to Bjerre first in December, 1909, complaining of a goiter and nervousness. She wanted the goiter treated by hypnotism. Gradually, she spoke of being presecuted. There were two chief signs of this presecution: people shuffled their feet and stuck out their tongues in her presence. As soon as she appeared on the street in the morning, people began these depreciatory gestures. The shop people and street car employees were in the plot against her. Things were worst of all in the office where she worked. The cashier and her chief tormented her with these signs. In restaurants, things had become unbearable because the servants did these things to her. She tried new places but these soon became as bad as the old. Even her best friend, Miss D., had joined her enemies some months before.
The cause of this persecution, she believed to be the fact that she had had illicit sexual relations. She would be cast out by society, condemned to death. During ten years past, the plot against her had constantly increased. The center of this plot was the Women's Federation Fr. According to the patient, this federation had inquisitorial powers and was closely associated with schools, hospitals, etc. It had universal influence and could direct the persecution everywhere. As soon as she sought a new shop, the employees were instructed to torment her. Previously, she had been a teacher for many years. She had also been a journalist.