An Experience in Submarine Psychiatry

The psychiatric experience of a medical officer on two submerged Polaris submarine patrols, each lasting two months, is presented. One psychiatric emergency—an acute paranoid schizophrenic reaction—was managed, and some minor anxiety reactions and depressions were treated. The author suggests the nature of the submarine's psychological atmosphere by means of a brief discussion of the submarine as a physical entity, the patrol cycle, and the procedures of personnel selection and training.