BLOOD PRESSURE RESPONSES OF CHRONIC SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS TO EPINEPHRINE AND MECHOLYL
K. H. GEOCARIS M. D.1, and
J. E. KOOIKER M. D.1
1 Winter Veterans Administration Hospital, Topeka, Kans.
1. The recent work of Funkenstein, Greenblatt, and Solomon on the Epinephrine-Mecholyl Test, and on autonomic nervous system responses of mentally ill patients, has been applied to chronic schizophrenics.
2. Our hypothesis was that if chronic schizophrenics were tested by this technique, few would give responses of the type that are associated with a favorable prognosis.
3. Of 25 chronic schizophrenics with prolonged hospitalizations, none gave a "favorable" response.
4. The responses shown by chronic patients gave a distribution pattern practically identical with that seen in groups of normal subjects. The distribution into groups of the more acute cases described by Funkenstein et al. differs significantly from both normals and chronics.
5. Hypotheses have been formulated from the work of Funkenstein and from the results of this investigation which pertain to concepts of psychological equilibrium and homeostasis in mental illness.
6. Our results give support to the reliability of the Epinephrine-Mecholyl Test. Further work with this test should be done.
