Carlos Hojaij’s Comment on Carlos Morra’s “The Mental Status Examination and General Psychopathology, Volume 1, Sensory-perception”

       Carlos Alberto Morra’s, vol 1, Entrevista, Exame psiquiátrico y psicopatologia de la sensopercepción (2018) goes beyond the traditional General Psychopathology.

       After a general introduction, the sense-perception thematic is divided in five major chapters: 1. Stimulus intensity; 2. Stimulus persistence and integrity; 3. Stimulus distortion; 4. Stimulus identification; and 5. Perception without stimulus (hallucinations). In sequence, the second part of the book is dedicated to several types of hallucinations: auditory; visual; olfactive and gustative; tactile, cenestisic and kinetic; hypnogogic; psychic and other form of hallucinations.

       Morra takes as the central point a symptom. After the description, ways to observe (explore) and identify the symptom, we find links to this symptom may have with several possible causes. At this point the Morra develops a herculean task, for he touches numerous medical areas, supported by extensive bibliographic references presented through 57 pages written in a small font size, around 20 references per page. The references possibly comprise the entirety of current medical knowledge.

       Apart from a valuable psychopathological contribution to medical practice,  while offering a considerable bibliographic,  Carlos Morra inadvertently forces us to recognize we are receiving not just book of general psychopathology, but a Neuro-Psychiatry Semiology Reference Book. To go beyond the Latin world, the book well deserves at least an English translation.

Reference:

Morra CA. Psicopatologia General, vol 1, Entrevista, Exame psiquiátrico y psicopatologia de la sensopercepción. Cordoba, Tinta LIbre Edicionees; 2018.  

June 24, 2021