Psychological Concomitants of Cortisone and Acth Therapy

Abstract

During recent years renewed interest has been taken in the possible importance of adrenocortical function in psychiatric disorders. Psychiatric syndromes and symptoms associated with pathological functioning of the adrenal cortex found in Cushing's and Addison's diseases have been recognized for many years. The classical work of Selye (1949) and his school has elucidated the importance of the adrenal gland in the individual's reaction and adaptation to stress. Qualitative and quantitative abnormalities in adrenocortical responsivity to stresses and stimuli in various psychiatric disorders have been reported in recent years (Freeman et al., 1944; Hoagland et al., 1946; Pincus and Elmadjean, 1946; Pincus et al., 1949).