The Use of Drugs in Psychiatric Interviews: Some Interpretations Based on Controlled Experiments
IAN STEVENSON M.D.1,
JOHN BUCKMAN M.D.2,
BURKE M. SMITH PH.D.2, , and
JACK D. HAIN PH.D.3
1 Carlson Professor of Psychiatry, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Va.
2 Associate Professors of Psychiatry, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Va.
3 Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Ala.
In a series of controlled interviews using drugs, patients exhibited less expression of emotion than is usually reported in drug interviews. This remained true even when freer conditions were instituted. The general research ambiance may have inhibited patients and perhaps interviewers. Nevertheless, many patients reported improvement in feelings and symptoms; these improvements showed no correlation with the expression during the interview of negative affects or with derepression. Desuppression did correlate with indications of improvement. The authors conclude that drugs may provide a chemical buffer against negative feelings and thus enable the patient to talk about stressful experiences and integrate them with his current situation.
