This project illustrates as-yet-uncharted psychiatric patients from the Royal Edinburgh Asylum (REA) around the time of World War I, predominantly ‘shell-shocked’ soldiers. Primary patient notes help to elucidate definitions, symptoms and perceptions of ‘shell-shock’, in addition to its links with other psychiatric conditions. This includes general paralysis of the insane (GPI), alcohol excess, mania and melancholia. Whereas the majority of these patients were suffering from shell-shock, it is not once explicitly listed as a diagnosis; it was a term whose use was discouraged by the War Office and key medical experts from 1916 onwards. As such, this paper demonstrates effects that canonical views held by the War Office and military psychiatrists on shell-shock aetiology had on language used in psychiatric patient notes. The results corroborate wartime views that mental distress due to a physical head injury was preferable to shell-shock without obvious cause; that neurasthenia was a more desirable diagnostic label than hysteria; and that mental illness was predominantly due to an inherited flaw in someone's character. Language used by psychiatrists to describe their patients was influenced by contemporary perspectives on gender, class and mental illness. More broadly, this paper adds to discussions about definitions and symptomatology of shell-shock that are being uncovered in historical patient notes from this period.

这个项目展示了第一次世界大战期间来自皇家爱丁堡精神病院 (REA) 的未知精神病患者，主要是“震惊”的士兵。除了与其他精神疾病的联系外，主要患者笔记还有助于阐明“壳休克”的定义、症状和认知。这包括精神失常（GPI）、酒精过量、躁狂症和忧郁症的全身瘫痪。尽管这些患者中的大多数都患有贝壳休克，但它并没有被明确列为一种诊断；从 1916 年起，战争办公室和主要医学专家不鼓励使用这个术语。因此，本文展示了战争办公室和军事精神病学家对炮弹休克病因学持有的规范观点对精神病患者笔记​​中使用的语言的影响。结果证实了战时的观点，即由于身体头部受伤而导致的精神痛苦比没有明显原因的炮弹冲击更可取；神经衰弱是比歇斯底里更理想的诊断标签；精神疾病主要是由于某人性格的遗传缺陷造成的。精神科医生用来描述他们的病人的语言受到当代关于性别、阶级和精神疾病的观点的影响。更广泛地说，本文增加了关于这一时期历史患者记录中发现的贝壳休克的定义和症状学的讨论。精神疾病主要是由于某人性格的遗传缺陷造成的。精神科医生用来描述他们的病人的语言受到当代关于性别、阶级和精神疾病的观点的影响。更广泛地说，本文增加了关于这一时期历史患者记录中发现的贝壳休克的定义和症状学的讨论。精神疾病主要是由于某人性格的遗传缺陷造成的。精神科医生用来描述他们的病人的语言受到当代关于性别、阶级和精神疾病的观点的影响。更广泛地说，本文增加了关于这一时期历史患者记录中发现的贝壳休克的定义和症状学的讨论。