Carl Friedrich Otto Westphal

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Carl Friedrich Otto Westphal

1833-1890

German psychiatrist known for his research on various psychoses; these are mental disorders in which the patient has lost contact with reality. He is credited with giving the first description of agoraphobia, or the fear of open places. Westphal was also the first to introduce the term paranoia, a mental condition used to describe delusions of suspicion and jealousy.

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