Body Water Variations in Manic-Depressive Psychosis

Abstract

Most of the water and electrolyte studies in mental illness have been carried out on patients suffering from periodic disorders and have been reviewed by Crammer (1962). Coppen and Shaw (1963) found increases in total body water and extracellular fluid and a decrease in residual sodium space on recovery from depression. Manic patients with a high vocal productivity were found by Anderson et al. (1964) to have a negative sodium balance, low plasma potassium levels and a positive potassium balance. Depressed patients with a low vocal productivity had a reduced rate of sodium loss and higher plasma potassium levels. Dawson et al. (1956) found extracellular expansion on spontaneous recovery from manic or depressive attacks. The purpose of the present study was to investigate variations in total body water and its distribution in manic-depressive psychosis. The investigation was complementary to a similar study of variations in body composition during recovery from depression reported by Hullin et al. (1967).