Psychophysiological Factors In Menieres Disease

WH 'HILE emotional tension and outbreaks have been observed in Meniere's disease, as a rule they have been attributed to fear of attacks of vertigo and nausea, fear of perma- nent deafness, or to exaggerated preoccupation with the annoyance of tinnitus. Since 1861, when M£niere originally de- scribed the complex of symptoms that bears his name, most writers have attributed the triad to hemorrhages or spasm of the blood vessels within the labyrinth or its connections. As far as we know, none have been very definite about relating these changes to psychic stimuli and none have reported the underlying personality traits of a sizable group of patients suffering from the disease. There have, however, been a few casual case reports of patients with vertigo who have undergone psychotherapy and there are indications that several authors have considered emotional factors in relation to the disease. This paper consists of the preliminary psy- chological findings in 23 patients with clear- cut Meniere's disease, i.e., with paroxysmal attacks of vertigo, some degree of deafness,