"FURLOUGH" PSYCHOSIS

Twelve cases were observed showing an acute schizophrenic reaction, seemingly precipitated by the sudden emotional readjustments necessitated by leave or furlough. The onset of the symptoms occurred abruptly a few days after these apparently well adjusted individuals had returned home. The clinical symptoms, however, were not sufficiently clear-cut to include them in a single diagnostic category. The 4 typical case histories cited indicate that the episode was provoked by the sudden release from military authority upon which the individual had become emotionally dependent.