Psychic disturbances in patients with chronic prostatis.

Abstract

A psychological study, which included personality testing (BDI, MMPI, RO, TAT), was performed on 42 patients with clinical symptoms of chronic prostatitis. The patients were characterized by prolonged symptoms and poor response to treatment by general practitioners. Some degree of psychic difficulty was revealed in 80% of the patients, and signs of severe psychic disturbance in 20 to 50%. The outstanding psychic symptoms were anxiety, depression, affect-lability, weak masculine identity and other sexual disorders, and even psychotic features. This pattern of psychic disorders corresponds with that described for borderline personality. The common occurrence of specific psychic and sexual disturbances suggests that these psychic factors may have a causative role in chronic prostatitis.