[Various aspects of the pathogenesis and treatment of hysterical neurosis and hysterical neurotic personality development].

The authors studied 53 patients with hysterical neurosis and 66 with hysterical neurotic development of personality. Factors contributing to an unfavourable course of neurosis and its transformation into a hysterical development were elicited; clinical variants of the formation of the hysterical neurotic personality development are described. A study was carried out aimed at comparing the functions of the serotoninergic and cholinergic systems in patients with hysterical neurosis, hysterical development and hysteroid psychopathy at the stage of decompensation. An increase in the changes in these systems in the "neurosis-development-psychopathy" series and their time-course were defined in the process of treatment. On the basis of the clinical and laboratory data, a conclusion was drawn about the advantage of treating the hysterical development with phenothiazine drugs as compared with tranquilizers.