Urinary dimethyltryptamine and psychiatric symptomatology and classification
R. Rodnight, R. M. Murray, M. C. H. Oon, I. F. Brockington, P. Nicholls, J. L. T. Birley
Psychological Medicine February 1, 1977 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1017/s0033291700018304
Summary
DMT was found in the urine of 47% of recently admitted psychiatric patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and in varying lower percentages of other psychiatric disorders. In total, 122 psychiatric patients and 20 normal subjects were studied, with only 5% of normal subjects showing DMT. While a general relationship between psychotic symptoms and urinary DMT was noted, specific schizophrenic symptoms did not significantly correlate with DMT excretion.
Study at a glance
| Sample size | 142 |
|---|---|
| Population | recently admitted psychiatric patients and normal subjects |
| Key finding | 47% of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia excreted detectable DMT in their urine. |
Abstract
SynopsisThe excretion of dimethyltryptamine (DMT) was studied amongst 122 recently admitted psychiatric patients and 20 normal subjects. DMT was detected in the urine of 47% of those diagnosed by their psychiatrists as schizophrenic, 38% of those with other non-affective psychoses, 13% of those with affective psychoses, 19% of those with neurotic and personality disorders and 5% of normal subjects. Ninety-nine patients were interviewed in a semi-standardized fashion, and also categorized according to a variety of operational definitions of the psychoses. The operational definitions failed to reveal any group significantly more correlated with urinary DMT than a hospital diagnosis of schizophrenia, but a discriminant function analysis of symptomatology could be used to define a group of 21 patients of whom 15 (71%) excreted detectable DMT. There was a general relationship between psychotic symptoms and urinary DMT, but specifically schizophrenic symptoms did not appear to be major determinants of DMT excretion.