Autochthonous Ideas
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
Autochthonous ideas, a term introduced by Wernicke, refer to thoughts that suddenly appear in a patient's consciousness independently of the normal train of association. Patients feel these thoughts are foreign and forcibly imposed upon them by someone else. They are considered a symptom of schizophrenia and must be distinguished from obsessions.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
AUTOCHTHONOUS IDEAS, a term given by Wernicke to the following phenomenon: patients notice that thoughts suddenly arise in their consciousness, disconnected from the normal course of associations, which seem foreign to them, that is, belonging to someone else and forcibly imposed upon them. Autochthonous ideas are a symptom of schizophrenia and must be distinguished from obsessive thoughts, which, although the patient realizes their absurdity, still do not cause a sensation of foreignness.
Related articles
Cite this page
“Autochthonous Ideas.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/autochthonous-ideas/