The British Journal of Psychiatry 152: 562-565 (1988)
© 1988 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Pseudocyesis preceding psychosis
A Mortimer and J Banbery
St James's University Hospital, Leeds.
Pseudocyesis is an uncommon condition in which the psychological and
somatic phenomena are usually thought to arise with neurotic rather than
psychotic illness. We report a patient whose pseudocyesis took a course not
previously described, culminating in an acute schizophrenic episode.
Despite this she demonstrated many similarities with neurotic patients
previously described in the literature. A phenomenological explanation, the
belief of pregnancy as an overvalued idea, is discussed.