PS268 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Sodium Thiopental, Antipsychotic, General Paresis Of The Insane
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Physical treatment was first demonstrated to be effective in 1917 when a great proportion of patients with psychosis had general paresis. The fever associated with malaria often produced marked improvement. Led to malaria therapy being introduced in treatment of general paresis. In 20s, wealthier patients could afford narcosis therapy in which barbiturates and other depressants were used to induce sleep for as long as a week or more. An intravenous dose of thiopental sodium would relax a person and produce more talking during psychotherapy. Drugs like thipental sodium became known as truth serums. In 1933, manfred sakel induced comas in schizophrenic patients by administering insulin but later studies demonstrated relapse rate was high. Ladislas von meduna believed schizophrenia and epilepsy were incompatible and thought inducing convulsions might cure schizophrenia. He used pentylenetetrazol which induced convulsions in 30 seconds. However the 30 second interval produced much anguish.
