A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE USE OF D-DESOXYEPHEDRINE HYDROCHLORIDE IN THE STUDY OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND PSYCHOTHERAPY
JOSEPH SCHEIN M. D.1, and
PAUL GOOLKER M. D.1
1 The Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City.
1. D-desoxyephedrine hydrochloride was employed intravenously in an intensive study of 22 patients with psychoneurotic illness.
2. It was found invaluable as a working tool for—
(a) the delineation of defenses available to the patient, and the role of this delineation in diagnosis and research.
(b) a nosological differentiation in so-called "border-line" syndromes.
(c) the vivid clarification of transference reactions.
(d) the unexpected confrontation of the alert patient with a dramatic change in his chronic symptoms, and its consequent impetus toward recovery.
(e) the marked reduction in time consumed in obtaining valuable conscious and preconscious material.
3. A repeated phenomenon, which we have labeled "reawakening of focal memory," has been frequently observed, and represents a challenge to the study of recall, and psychic representation.
4. It allows for clearly observable phenomena even in the presence of a group, and thus affords an excellent medium for teaching purposes.
