Prognosis and Course

Abstract

In most somatic illnesses the prognosis is implicit in the precise diagnosis. This is not the case in the psychogenic disorders: after exclusion of a primary somatic cause, simple diagnosis in the sense of classification of the clinical picture usually entails few difficulties; by contrast prognostic evaluation generally requires a great deal of time and care. In the Federal Republic particularly the psychoanalytical school centered around Schultz-Hencke endeavored to describe at an early date reliable criteria for making a prognosis (see especially Schultz-Hencke 1951; Heigl 1975; Schwidder 1975; Dührssen 1962 b).