Fifty-four subjects from 64 to 94 years of age were investigated for their stress reactions following their relocation from one site to another. Forty of them, 16 men and 24 women, were psychiatrically normal, while the remainder (eight men and six women) were suffering from a psychosis, which in all cases, except one, was of organic type. There was no statistically significant difference between the ages of the men and women, and of the normals and psychotics. The same was true in the case of the body weight, except that the men weighed more than the women. Plasma corticoid (PC) levels were determined two to nine days before relocation and eight to 17 days afterwards. One-third of the subjects made no complaints in regard to their health within four months of relocation (NC 33%), while the rest either reported symptoms for which there did not appear to be any apparent organic cause (WS 43%) or presented organic signs (OS 24%). Most of the complaints in the WS category were related to the abdomen, while most of those in the OS group were either due to respiratory infections or cardiovascular conditions. The relative percentage of persons falling into these three categories was essentially similar in normal men and in normal women and in psychotic men and psychotic women. However, the psychotics had a significantly higher incidence of OS persons and a significantly lower number of NC subjects than did the normals, while the incidence of WS was essentially the same in these two groups. Following relocation the PC levels increased in normal men, but decreased in normal women. Furthermore, a greater PC increase was observed in men of the OS group than in those of the WS category, who in turn showed a greater increase than the NC males. This was not observed in the women. Men in each of the NC, WS and OS categories had higher PC levels than women of the same category, and psychotics higher than normals. Twenty-five per cent of the normal men died within the first six months of relocation but none of the normal women, a statistically significant difference. Within 23 months of relocation reliably more psychotics died than normals. In conclusion, normal aged men appeared to suffer more from the relocation than normal aged women, and psychotic aged persons more than psychiatrically normal subjects of the same age.
1. A report is given on 47 patients seen during the first 10 months of operation of a multidisciplinary geriatric clinic. 2. Psychological tests were performed on 42 of these patients. They revealed a low average I.Q. and E.Q. of the group as a whole probably due, in part, to the life long low socio-economic status of the patients, and more so to the fact that about two-thirds of those tested showed “organic signs” on psychological tests. 3. In spite of this, only 19% of the group showed clinical signs of organic brain disease. This is taken as an indication of a remarkable capacity to compensate for organic deficits even at advanced age. It is suggested that “personal factors” may be responsible for this capacity. 4. Therapeutic measures to be taken with the different diagnostic groups are suggested.
Five groups of subjects (normal young persons, normal old persons, young persons with functional psychosis, persons with senile dementia and old schizophrenics), each comprising 5 men and 5 women, were blindfolded for one half hour. Samples of blood and saliva were taken immediately before, immediately after and 3 1/2 hours after blindfolding. The sodium-potassium ratio was determined in the saliva and the number of eosinophils was counted in each sample of blood. Prior to blindfolding, young persons with functional psychoses had the highest eosinophil count of all the subjects, the counts of this group being significantly higher than those of normal old persons. Moreover, differences between the former group and normal young subjects or old persons with senile dementia were of borderline significance. In response to blindfolding, normal young subjects showed a significant eosinopenia, as did also the senile dementia patients. However, in the former case, the eosinopenia was apparent immediately after blindfolding, but not 3 to 4 hours later. The senile dementia patients on the other hand presented no immediate eosinopenia but showed a very significant change 3 to 4 hours later. The remaining groups showed no significant change in the number of circulating eosinophils in response to blindfolding. In the case of the salivary Na/K ratio the senile dementia and elderly schizophrenic subjects had significantly higher values than the other groups prior to blindfolding. In response to blindfolding, the normal young subjects showed a significant increase in the Na/K immediately after blindfolding with a return to normal 3 to 4 hours later. On the other hand, old schizophrenics showed a significant decline immediately after blindfolding with a persistence of low values 3 to 4 hours later. All other groups showed no significant change as a result of blindfolding. These studies provided physiological tests for distinguishing senile dementia from schizophrenia in elderly psychotics. Also, because of the inverse relationship between the change in the level of the circulating eosinophils and salivary Na/K ratio on the one hand and the change of the level the sugar- and salt-action hormones of the adrenal cortex on the other, it is suggested that the elderly schizophrenic reacts to blindfolding by an immediate increase in the output of salt-active corticoids, while the senile dementia patients reacts to the same stress by a delayed increase in the output of sugar-active corticoids.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.