Thirty members who were involved in the Syowa Station antarctic wintering research project for a whole year, in follow-up studies of changes in psychological states, were given the following three psychological test batteries : 1. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) 2. Uchida-Kraepelin Psycho-diagnostic Test (U-K) 3. Tokyo Personality Inventory (TPI)All members were tested with the STAI every month. As time passed, the mean scores of both the STAI X-I and X-II showed a tendency to increase. The mean scores were especially high the second, sixth and last three months of the expedition. This seems to indicate that anxicty increased just after arrival at the Syowa Station, with both stait-anxiety and trait-anxiety increasing as time went on.The U-K was done four times during the year. A PF score of more than 10,and scores indicating a Type IV personality, were seen during the last two testings. These results suggest that as the isolation time increased, mental abnormalities became more obvious.The TPI was given five times during the year. Generally, the mean standard T Score became progressively higher each time the test was given. It was especially high at the last end of year testing. The year-end scores were high in the Rr, Lie, Hc, Hy, Ob, Pa, Hb and As scales, with the Hc and Hb scales showing a very significant increase (P<0.05).The TPI Character Analysis suggested that members became progressively depressive as time passed.Results of this psychological study indicated that although all members were initially quite psychologically stable while aboard the ship "Fuji" which brought them to the antarctic, they became increasingly anxious and irritable as time in isolation became longer. The last three months especially were found to be non-adaptive and depressive.

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This present study was designed to follow a small group of women longitudinally over one menstrual cycle in order to examine the relationsip between menstrual cycle and the time course of change in basal body temperature, state anxiety, and level of depression.The subjects were nine unmarried, healthy junior college women. The ages of the women ranged from 19 to 20. Body temperature was measured twice daily. State anxiety as indicated by Spielberger's STAI-I type, and level of depression by the MD scale, were measured six times during the menstrual cycle ; menstrual, post-menstrual, ovulatory, post-ovulatory, premenstrual, and late premenstrual phases.Results indicate that basal body temperature and depression scores change cyclically in relation to the menstrual cycle, but changes of state anxiety scores do not. Rhythm characteristics of basal body temperature and depression scores by least squares, fit a single cosine function. But the curves intersected. That is, depression scores were high in post-menstrual phase represented by low body temperature, and low in premenstrual phase represented by high body temperature. Correlations were low in menstrual phase between depression and state anxiety scores, but high correlations were found in premenstrual phase. It was suggested that the rhythm of state anxiety differed from that of depression, and there was a close relationship between menstrual cycle and changes of depression scores.

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It is a very important problem for preoperative anesthetic management to relieve anxiety and fear in surgical patients. We observed the preoperative emotional states of patients by trait, state anxiety and psychological performance.Female surgical patients who had been admitted to the National Cancer Center Hospital were studied. Thye included ten high, ten medium and ten low anxiety patients respectively. Relations between trait, state anxiety and psychological functionings were examined. 1) MAS and STAI (A-trait) showed a similar trend. 2) State anxiety measured with STAI (A-state) was high in the high groups and this was true especially in preoperative cases. 3) In the preoperative period, indices such as r and s of the Uchida-Kraepelin psychodiagnostic test, response time of the Maze test, and numbers of correct or error responses in the Benton Visual Retention test were disturbed among the high anxiety groups, while thay were facilitated among the medium and low anxiety groups. 4) Relation between trait anxiety and the psychomotor performance were discussed from the viewpoint of facilitating and disturbing effect of anxiety.

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A new benzodiazepino oxazole agent, named Mexazolem, is an agent with anti-anxiety effect developed by Central Institute of Sankyo Co., Ltd. In Japan. The double blind test of the drug was carried out using Oxazolam as an active control agent by multiclinical trial in 23 institutions in Japan. The subjects of this double-blind test were 165 patients with either psychosomatic diseases or various kind of neurosis. Mexazolam was administered to 82 patients and Oxazolam to the other 83. There were no statistically singnificant differences in background factors between both groups.The target mental symptoms were anxiety, tension and insomnia, physical symptoms, such as dizziness, nausea, chest pain and dullness of the head were also checked simultaneously.The rate of final global improvement (FGIR) was 75.6% in the cases of maxazolam and 63.8% in oxazolam.Concerning target diseases, Mexazolam showed marked effectiveness against essential hypertension and peptic ulcer which should be dealt with as psychosomatic disease, and also irritable colon, and autonomic nervous dystonia.Anxiety neurosis and organ neurosis were considered as suitable indications of this agent. The side effects of drowsiness and giddiness were seen frequently than in the control drug. However, they were not so severe in any of the cases studied nor comparable to those caused by other anti-anxiety drugs. According to the above mentioned results, Mexazolam seems to be a more effective drug than oxazolam and its usefulness for psychosomatic disease and neurosis was confirmed.

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EMG biofeedback treatment of psychosomatic diseases of the neuromuscular system, such as hypertension and anxiety neurosis, has been reported frequently, ever since Thomas Budzynski first started using it to treat tension headache patients.In this study, we report on the effective use of EMG biofeedback for various psychosomatic diseases of the neuromuscular system. EMG biofeedback has been found effective for tension headaches, writer's cramp and finger tremors. Most of these cases have either shown significant improvement, or have been cured completely through the use of EMG biofeedback. However, the effect of biofeedback on spasmodic torticollis has been much less dramatic when compared to the above mentioned diseases.In regard to biofeedback treatment of spasmodic torticollis, the authors feel it will be necessary to further investigate the following; (1) The length of the training period, (2) The method of biofeedback used, and (3) How best to use the biofeedback information.As a general rule, EMG biofeedback therapy seems to be most effective when used in conjunction with drugs and patient interview counseling.

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In order to ascertain whether or not the therapeutic mechanism of fasting therapy lies within the changes occurring within the central nervous system, an electroencephalogram was recorded before, during and after fasting therapy. This therapy consisted of complete fasting for 10 days with subsequent resumption of regular meals for 6 days. EEG data was passed to the computer using a Sanei Model Signal Processor 7TO7. The resultant power spectrum covered the frequency range from D.C. to 25Hz with 0.195Hz resolution. Such spectra were obtained from the left occipital region at various stages of the therapy. During the experiment, patients were awake with their eyes closed. Changes in EEG power spectra through therapy were examined by peak frequency and percent energy. The average peak frequency of forty patients was 10.3Hz before fasting, but it decreased to 9.5Hz following 10-day fasting. After the recovery phase, it again increased to 10.1Hz. This decrease in peak frequency through fasting correlates statistically with a decrease in blood sugar level (r=+0.36,P<0.05). Subsequently, the percent energy was obtained at a frequency range of 4 to 20Hz. This range was divided into three parts : 'theta' with a range of 4 to 8Hz, 'alpha' with a range of 8 to 13Hz, and 'beta' ranging from 13 to 20Hz. The average percent energy of 40 patients for 'theta', 'alpha' and 'beta' was, respectively, 16%, 63%, 21% before fasting, 18%, 65%, 17% after 10-day fasting, and 15%, 70%, 15% after the recovery phase. The percent energy of 'alpha' after fasting therapy was significantly higher than that of the pre-fasting stage (P<0.001), while the percent energy of 'beta' after fasting therapy was significantly lower than that of the pre-fasting stage (P<0.001). The significantly higher percent energy of alpha waves indicates the stable psychological state of the post-fasting period. On the other hand, the beta waves decreased during the fasting period, and they did not reappear again in the same fashion even after the recovery phase. As these waves indicate psychological conditions of anxiety, tension and irritation, their decrease may imply objectively that fasting can ease these symptoms. These neurophysiological findings imply that Altered States of Consciousness, or ASC, have much to do with the psychotherapeutic effect. Since ASC can be attained easily through fasting, it is suggested that fasting therapy is an effective somatopsychic approach.

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It is a well-known fact that many psychological factors influence the onset and course of asthma in childhood. It is considered necessary therefore to treat children using a psychological approach. In clinical practice, it is difficult to perform research on psychological factors. Too much time must be spent on intake interviews and, in addition, many problems arise in the technical aspects of psychological testing.Thus in order to find an easier approach to study psychological factors influencing the asthmatic child, we designed a questionnaire reported on this questionnaire in a previous preliminary study. The questionnaire contains the following items : (1) Mothers' attitudes toward child-care, in general.(2)Mothers' attitudes toward child-care with regard to asthmatic attacks.(3) Mothers' manner of understanding asthma.(4) Personality and behavior of children as seen by mothers' filter of recognition.(5) Characteristics of personality and behavior of asthmatic children.In the present study, this questionnaire was given to 90 asthmatic children; 61 boys and 29 girls, ages 6 through 14,and also to their mothers.These results were arranged in a check-list from the viewpoints of mothers' favourable ("positive") and unfavourable ("negative") factors influencing the prognosis of asthma. These factors were diagrammed and were profiled with regard to the mothers' attitudes toward their children's personality. In the diagram, the vertical axis indicate mothers' attitudes toward childcare; the upper part of the line over zero indicating "positive" factors and the lower part "negative" factors. The horizontal axis shows asthmatic children's personality. The left side of the line indicates "negative" factors for asthma and the right side indicates "positive."As a result of this study by questionnaire, we obtained data which compared favorably with results of laboratory data, psychological tests and clinical observations.

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A 50 year-old man was seen at our out-patient clinic with complaints of continuous low grade fever, general fatigue, appetite loss, and insomnia of 2 months duration. This patient had a previous history of pulmonary tuberculosis 40 years age, but his X-P and laboratory examination revealed that he was now within normal limits. A diagnosis of masked depression was given after several interviews and mental tests. This patient was treated with anti-depressants, minor tranquilizers and psycho-therapy, and these symptoms gradually improved within 2 months. Patients with low grade fever whose etiology is unknown are often seen at the clinic, and a psychosomatic approach is sometimes the therapeutic treatment of choice.

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