British Journal of Psychiatry
September 1, 1987
J. Cutting
137 citations
In 74 patients with acute organic psychosis, a distinctive pattern of delusions, perceptual disturbance, and thought disorder emerged that was markedly different from the pattern in 74 acute schizophrenics. The findings challenge theories that equate schizophrenia with an organic psychosis, suggesting that the psychopathology of acute organic psychosis arises from fundamentally different origins than that of schizophrenia.
British Journal of Psychiatry
July 14, 2023
Colleen Loo, N. Glozier, D. Barton et al.
70 citations
In a phase 3 trial across seven mood disorders centers in Australia and New Zealand, subcutaneous racemic ketamine was tested against midazolam for treatment-resistant depression. With flexible dosing (0.5–0.9 mg/kg), ketamine led to a 19.6% remission rate compared to 2.0% for midazolam, a significant difference. Fixed dosing (0.5 mg/kg) showed no difference. Acute side effects, such as psychotomimetic effects and blood pressure increases, resolved within two hours. The subcutaneous route proved practical and feasible.
British Journal of Psychiatry
January 1, 1963
A. M. Spencer
21 citations
LSD was used at Powick Hospital from 1952, but its dramatic psychic effects—hallucinations and sensory hyperacuity—proved therapeutically unimportant. The drug's main value was its ability to bring repressed childhood traumas into consciousness, such as parental rejection, hostility, sexual assaults, and the loneliness and fear caused by inhalant anaesthetics in a hospital setting. These memories were recovered and abreacted with great emotional release. LSD was uniquely effective at retrieving deeply repressed material; small doses could yield in one or two sessions what would otherwise require months of analysis.
British Journal of Psychiatry
July 10, 2019
B. Sessa
1 citation
No Summary
British Journal of Psychiatry
February 6, 2025
Eugene G. Breen, F. Al-Harbi
No Summary
British Journal of Psychiatry
December 3, 2024
E. Chesney, Thomas J. Reilly, Fraser Scott et al.
Abruptly stopping heavy, daily cannabis use can trigger psychosis, both in people experiencing their first episode and in those with a pre-existing psychotic disorder. A systematic review of 21 studies identified 44 individuals whose psychosis began after cannabis withdrawal, and a health-record search found another 68 cases. Almost all were daily users who stopped abruptly. Those who resumed cannabis after the acute psychotic episode were far more likely to relapse than those who abstained (odds ratio 13.9). The findings indicate that acute psychotic symptoms can emerge after cannabis cessation, not only during its use.
British Journal of Psychiatry
May 25, 2021
E. Ionson, Jayneel Limbachia, S. Rej et al.
The editors of BJPsych have retracted an article about Sahaj Samadhi meditation's effects on heart rate variability and depressive symptoms in patients with late-life depression. The retraction notice does not provide a reason for the removal, nor does it include any findings, data, or conclusions from the original work.
British Journal of Psychiatry
January 1, 1989
A 16-year-old Chinese woman who compulsively drank about 20 liters of water daily for six months became comatose. The behavior was driven by an enjoyable altered state of consciousness she experienced after drinking. Treatment with fluid restriction and education resolved the condition. The case suggests that the subjective experience of an altered state may explain why some people develop this obscure disorder.
British Journal of Psychiatry
June 1, 1974
Hugh Firth
Almost all sleep-promoting drugs distort natural sleep by suppressing REM sleep and cause a rebound to above-normal REM values lasting about six weeks after withdrawal. Barbiturates reduce the number of eye movements per unit time in REM sleep, with a rebound in eye movement profusion upon withdrawal. Non-barbiturate hypnotics produce similar effects, also leading to a rebound in eye movement profusion on withdrawal.
British Journal of Psychiatry
May 1, 1971
Carrick McDonald
Hypnagogic hallucinations occur as a person falls asleep and prevent deep sleep, while hypnopompic hallucinations happen upon waking. The distinction between them may be artificial because hypnagogic hallucinations by definition awaken the subject. Psychiatric textbooks vary in their assessment of these hallucinations' significance, generally considering them normal phenomena, with some exceptions.