TREATMENT OF PSYCHOSES WITH ACTH

Abstract
Fifteen psychotic patients were treated with ACTH (5-15 I.U. daily intraven. or 30-75 I.U. daily intramusc.) and the psychic and hormonal effects compared with the effect of electroshock. ACTH had temporary therapeutic effect on 2 depressed and 1 manic patients, and in 2 stuporous schizophrenics. In the others it had no effect. There was no parallelism between the ACTH-like effects of electro-shock and the effects of ACTH itself. The authors believe that the therapeutic effects of electroshock are not a result of adrenal activation.