THE POSSIBILITY OF PRECIPITATING THE LEUKEMIC STATE BY EMOTIONAL FACTORS

The emotional background of 6 cases of chronic myeloid leukemia are reviewed after psychiatric interviews. In 4, emotional instability was of long standing and in these 4, chronic worry and anxiety seemed to be an integral part of the pre-leukemic history. One of the other 2 suffered emotional trauma early in life and one had lived a life of misery as a child and an adult. Further study of emotional factors in relation to pre-leukemic histories should be made.