METHODS EMPLOYED AND RESULTS OBTAINED IN PSYCHIATRIC STUDIES WITH NEW DRUGS ACTING ON THE BRAIN STEM

The method and results of treatment with reserpine, chlorpromazine, and Covatin are reported. Also emphasized are the expediency of a semi-darkened ward and the patient's accessibility to early psychotherapeutic contact. With chronic cases, the knowledge of the spontaneous course of the disease is the foundation of our appraisals of the therapeutic results. Categorization of patients is discussed according to the course of their illnesses before treatment. Results of therapy are further broken down into 6 degrees of improvement. Cases of schizophrenia treated by reserpine are used as an example for the manner in which pharmacological treatment affects only the temporary disease process. Follow-up studies of 194 patients mainly show that the treatment has no long-term effect on the course of the various schizophrenic processes. In every case, the schizophrenic process 1 year after treatment runs the same course as before.