Interrelationship of hypochondriacal, paranoid, depressive, and suicidal symptoms in Chinese psychiatric patients.

Data concerning 150 consecutive adult psychiatric patients treated by the authors in a general hospital psychiatric unit were analyzed. All patients with predominant hypochondriacal or paranoid symptoms were selected. The presence of depressed mood and suicidal ideas and their impact on prognosis were investigated. Finally, characteristics of patients with both hypochondriacal and paranoid symptoms were studied. We found that: (a) 79% of the patients with predominant hypochondriacal symptoms were depressed, but only 27% of these had suicidal ideas. These patients usually revealed a poor response to treatment. (b) Only 27% of the patients with paranoid symptoms only were depressed, but their suicidal risk was high. They usually had a good response to treatment. (c) Only 3% of the total sample exhibited both hypochondriacal and paranoid symptoms. They were all thought-disordered schizophrenics but had better prognosis than expected. The psychodynamic background of the results is discussed.