The Detroit times., 1915-11-02
Fear of Insanity
~ n. ADDINGToN BRUCE.
Author OF The Riddle Of Personality"
Psychology and Parenthood."' etc.

have received letters from correspondents In
several states urging me to emphasize by re-
peated discussion the essential prevenAbility OF
insanity, and the folly of giving way to secret
fear that one is doomed by heredity to become
insane.
pathetic story Of long personal fight against
fear engendered both by the fact that insanity
was In her family, and by suggestion OF neigh
bors who thoughtlessly voiced in her hearing
their belief in the transmission Of insanity by In
heritance.
Fortunately, instead OF falling into blind
panic. she reasoned the situation out. She writes
me:
II have often said, when I heard people say
OF such ones, Oh they inherited IT, that they
certainly did not inherit the disease, or they
would have had 1t when they were born But
they do inherit the liability to II.
II have always been nervous and ailing. have
feared insanity. and several years ago / came
near losing my mind. But by studying myself
selfcontrol enough so have become much bet
ter"
The trouble is that most people. when attack.
ed by fear Of insanity. do not reason about II as
calmly and determinedly as this woman has
done. Instead, they begin to look for symptoms
In themselves. they brood, they worry. and grad
ually thir fear becomes transformed into q haunt
ing obsession that they are certain TO become
insane.
Then indeed they are on the way to complete
breakdown. which may make necessary their
detention IN asylum for the insane perhaps
for the remainder OF their days.
AS write, the case OF young man Of my
acquaintance comes 10 mind. Until the age Of
eighteen he was in excellent health. physically
and mentally Then he became strangely ner.
vous, lost weight, and found IL di1cult TO sleep.
Rest and tonics did him no good, and he failed
TO benefit from consultations with competent
physicians. They could not guess fact which he
persisted in keeping TO himself and knowledge
Of which would have enabled them to help him.
This was the fact that he had become OBJ
sessed with the belief that he was doomed TO be
stricken with epilepsy, as a near relative had
been. Night and day this thought was with him
until finally, In moment OF desperation. he
ATTEMPTED to kill himself
Then, In truth, his mind was wrecked. though
not permanently. But II was not until aiCer long
and bitter experience OF asylum life that mental
health returned To him, and he able once
more to take his place among other men.
These wasted years Of his life might have
been spared TO him HAD HE FRANKLY CON.
EIDED TO THE FIRST PHYSICIAN TO WHOM
HE WENT THE NARROWING FEAR THAT
WAS IN HIS MIND This. In fact is the wisest
thing that any man or woman can do, II torment
ed by similar fear OF insanity.
Most victims of this obsessive fear do exactly
az my acquaintance did-they keep TO them
selves the dread they feel, conhding II to no one
What they should do Ia TO go without DELAY
to physician. preferably an expert in nervous
diseases. and tell him what il is they fear
Nine times out OF ten. even IL there be insanity
In the family. their fears are groundess, PRO
v1DED THEY TAKE CERTAIN PRECAUTIONS
AS TO THE MODE OF LIFE THEY LIVE The
expert can give them the reinsurance they need
living
VI they will only accept his opinion. and act
on the advice he gives them. they will be safe
enough.