[Work and psychopathology: general guidelines].
After pointing out that the treatises of psychiatry usually lack chapters devoted to work psychopathology, the author discusses the relationship between occupation and mental disease, underlining the importance of a careful occupational anamnesis, and focussing on three fundamental aspects. The first aspect regards mental diseases which may negatively affect work. Endogenous psychosis always imply enormous adaptive difficulties, and a precocious incapability to carry on the habitual occupations. Such incapability precedes the moment when every practical activity becomes impossible. The second aspect deals with the possible pathogenicity of work for the mind. Several occupational toxicants may damage the central nervous system, resulting in psychiatric manifestations. The author dwells on the psychopatogenicity of certain forms of erroneous work organization, with special emphasis on the sanitary environment. The third aspect regards the therapeutic and rehabilitative value of work. For this purpose the work should be "true", i.e. objectively recognized in its productive and rewarded value.