Treatment of Acute Mental Disorders with an Adrenal Steroid

Abstract

In this journal, Hardwick, Pearse and Petrow (1957) advanced the view that slightly lowered steroidal production may predispose individuals to abnormal mental states, thus suggesting the possibility of treating such disorders with some form of replacement therapy. They screened a number of steroidal compounds for such use and concluded that the most promising was 6β hydroxy:3: 5 cyclopregnan 20-one (“neurosterone”). In their small-scale preliminary study this agent appeared to be of value in the treatment of a variety of psychiatric patients, including those with symptoms of anxiety, depression, and obsessive behaviour.