Interest has recently focused on the possibility that the efficacy of drugs used in schizophrenia depends on their ability to alter disposition of cerebral dopamine. Thus, Phenothiazines and butyrophenones elevate dopamine turnover in the brain. (Andén, Roos, and Werdinius, 1964; Laverty and sharman, 1965; Sharman, 1966; Andén, Butcher, Corrodi, Fuxe, and Ungerstedt, 1970); Compounds which are clinically the most potent are those with greatest effect on dopamine turnover (Laverty and Sharman, 1965; O'Keeffe, Sharman, and Vogt, 1970). Augmented turnover is thought to be a consequence of the blockade of central dopamine receptors by these drugs. X-ray crystallography has revealed a similarity of the dopamine conformation to part of the chlorpromazine structure, suggesting that of the chlorpromazine structure, suggesting that phenothiazines can occupy dopamine receptors (Horn and snyder, 1971). More conclusively, in cats, dogs, and rabbits, chlorpromazine antagonized vascular effects of dopamine (Rossum, 1966; Yeh, McNay, and Goldberg, 1969; Brotzu, 1970); and haloperidol considerably diminished motor effects evoked by dopamine infused into the brain of cats and fowls (Cools and Rossum, 1970; Marley and Nistico, 1972).

The word ‘psychogenic’ was introduced into psychiatry in 1894 by Robert Sommer. Many attempts have been made to clarify the concept it denotes and apply it to clinical purposes. These attempts have been bedevilled by unsettled philosophical problems. It is suggested that the word should be decently buried.

A syndrome characterized by the psychopathological features of anorexia nervosa occurs in male subjects. There have been 25 cases previously reported in the literature which appear to be fairly typical of the condition and the present paper adds the case histories of another six patients. Endocrine investigation on these patients reveals a disorder of urinary excretion levels of testosterone and of total gonadotrophic activity, which is comparable to the disturbance of sex hormones that accompanies the menstrual disturbance of female patients with anorexia nervosa. The exact nature of the endocrine disturbance in the male, however, is still less well understood than that in the female.

Spontaneous and metacholine-stimulated salivation rates were measured in endogenous depression, symptomatic depression, mania, and healthy controls. In manic-depressive patients concentrations of salivary electrolytes were measured. Salivation rates were decreased in untreated endogenous depression and mania. After remission by ECT but not by drug treatment flow rates increased towards normal values. Estimations of electrolytes revealed no specific pattern of excretion in manic-depressive patients.

The hypothesis that drug withdrawal delirium was related to a gross disturbance of sleep and a marked excess of REM sleep, suggested that drugs used to treat delirium should depress REM sleep. Chlormethiazole in doses over l g was found to be effective in depressing REM sleep and in blocking the REM sleep rebound when sodium amylobarbitone (400 mg) was stopped abruptly.

The relationship between the affective connotations of material and the ease of its recall two weeks later has been examined in a group of psychiatric inpatients suffering from affective disorder. The tendency to recall more pleasant than unpleasant material has been less marked in patients showing overt depression than in patients who were hypomanic or recovered from depression at the time of the experiment. This has been chiefly because of the higher negative tone of recalled material in the depressed patients. Other attributes of the material, relative to its impact on the subject, have also appeared to be less influential in recall in the presence of depression.

Cloze procedures using fifth and fourth word deletions were compared for schizophrenic and non-schizophrenic speech transcripts. Both methods distinguished between the schizophrenic and non-schizophrenic speech. Fourth word deletion gave lower scores overall and this effect was significantly greater for the more disorganized schizophrenic speech. An encoding deficit involving inappropriate repetition is discussed as a possible explanation for the findings.

Three hundred and six male subjects in a community survey reported on their ‘motivation for drinking’. Factor analysis revealed three major factors. Factor 1 relates to N (neuroticism) score, more extreme drinking, and likelihood of drink-related trouble. Factor 2 is associated with more privileged and factor 3 with less privileged class status.

A factor analysis was carried out of ratings on the Hamilton Scale on a group of 134 male and 213 female depressed patients. The original data covered a wide range of severity of illness and the distribution of severity scores was not biased from normal. Hamilton's general factor was confirmed but his bipolarity between agitated and retarded depression did not emerge. Sex differences in factor patterns were found and a preliminary experiment showed that factor scores could isolate anxiety features and personality factors.

An earlier study suggested that the mining valleys of South Wales produced a higher rate of declared psychiatric illness than nearby rural areas. A replication during a later period showed that the rural area had now caught up with the mining area but a difference in sex ratios between the two areas had remained remarkably constant. A sampling survey, using self-assessment of symptoms in random samples, indicated that differential selection into the psychiatric services was likely to be a determining factor.

This paper attempts to show how a public health measure, by reducing production and withdrawing methylamphetamine (Methedrine) from retail pharmacists, dramatically affected the prevalence of its abuse in a provincial population. This measure coincided with the midpoint of a four-year survey into drug abuse which was being carried out in that area. This opportune timing created a natural experiment whereby it became possible to observe and measure the short- and long-term effects of a single social factor on one form of abnormal behaviour.

A group of male chronic schizophrenies in hospital for over two years was compared with a similar group attending a day hospital in respect of severity of handicaps and social circumstances. Inpatients were significatitly more handicapped on all the measures used, and it was concluded that severity of handicaps was the main reason for the failure to discharge them from hospital. The implications for the planning of services for the chronic psychiatric patient are discussed.

In a double-blind crossover trial lithium carbonate was found to be significantly superior to placebo in the prophylaxis of manic-depressive (bipolar) psychosis. A striking feature was the high incidence of manic or hypomanic attacks in patients who relapsed on placebo. Patients participated in the trial with their full knowledge and consent.

In a single case study of changes during psychotherapy, the patient reported more subjective distress after interviews than before, despite evidence of improvement over six months of a treatment apparently low in ‘therapeutic conditions’. The implications of findings from this and related studies for the psychotherapeutic process are discussed.