Symptom and Handicap

chemical cerebral disturbance, but admits that the nature of the actual process is unknown. This remains true today, despite extensive research and several interesting discoveries of biochemical irregularities in schizophrenia. Bleuler further maintains that primary symptoms, namely loosening of associations (thought disorder) and blunting of affect, are phenomena directly produced by the process, whereas other symptoms, i.e., delusions, hallucinations, autism, ambivalence, disturbance of volition and catatonic behaviour, are not directly determined by the disease process itself, but partly the results of attempts at adaptation to the primary disturbances and partly reactions of the patient's complexes to inner and* particularly, external circumstancesConsequently, the opportunity t? influence the patient's symptoms is always given, and Bleuler not only f*' pressed definite views on milieU therapy and resocialisation, 0lj organised daily work and recreational activities similar to those held today?