Abstract
The implications of the chemical war threat and the missile attacks during the Gulf War for a medium-sized psychiatric community are analyzed in terms of psychiatric care and management. Changes in medication, physical restraint, and ward transfer were observed for schizophrenic patients inactive psychoticphase (n=50), inresidual post-activephase (n=37), and patients with long-termresidual type (n=167). The variables for the first week of the war (n=250) were compared to those the same week 1 year before (n=254). Patients in active phase and patients in residual phase received more supplementary treatment and radical changes in treatment; patients in active phase received more treatment reinforcement, as well as physical restraint, compared to patients in residual phase and residual type patients. Residual type patients remained unchanged on all variables. Residual type patients remained mostly indifferent, while many severely disturbed psychotics needed restraining and less severely disturbed patients residing in open wards required only minor tranquilizers. Patients in active phase tended to behave very erratically while denying being affected by the war, and patients in residual phase overtly expressed their anxiety and remained in control.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Atkin I (1941) Air-raid strain in mental-hospital admissions. Lancet 241: 72–74
Ben-Dor A, Sigal M, Gelkopf M (1993) Insanity and war. Am J Phychother 47: 424–442
Ben-Dor A, Gelkopf M Sigal M (1994) Schizophrenic inpatients and the chemical war threat: the Israeli experience of the Gulf War. J Nerv Ment Dis 182: 116–118
Bleich A, Dycian A, Koslowsky M, Solomon Z, Wiener M, (1992) Psychiatric implications of missile attacks on a civilian population. Israeli lessons from the Persian Gulf War. JAMA 268: 613–615
Carmeli A, Liberman N, Mevorach L (1991) Anxiety related somatic reactions during missile attacks. Isr J Med Sci 27: 677–680
Golander H, Ehrenfeld M, Bergman R (1992) The Gulf War: reaction and action in institutions for the aged in Israel. J Adv Nurs 17: 1156–1165
Harris A (1941) Psychiatric reactions of civilians in war-time. Lancet 241: 152–155
Heller O, Aldar Y, Vosk M, Shemer J (1991) An argument for equipping civilian hospitals with a multiple respirator system for a chemical warfare mass casualty situation. Isr J Med Sci 27: 652–655
Kaplan Z, Kron S, Lichtenberg P, Solomon Z, Bleich A (1992a) Military mental health in the Gulf War: the experience at the central clinic of the IDF. Isr J Phychiatry Relat Sci 29: 7–13
Kaplan Z, Singer Y, Lichtenberg P, Solomon Z, Bleich A (1992b) Post traumatic stess disorder in Israel, during the Gulf War. Isr J Phychiatry Relat Sci 29: 14–21
Klingman A (1995) Stress reactions of Israeli youth during the Gulf War: a quantitative study. Professional Psychiatry Pract Res (in press)
Kushnir T, Melamed S (1992) The Gulf War and its impact on burnout and well-being of working civilians. Psychol Med 22: 987–995
Lavie P, Carmeli A, Mevorach L, Liberman N (1991) Sleeping under the threat of the scud: war related environmental insomnia. Isr J Med Sci 27: 681–686
Meiser SR, Kutz I, Dayan KI Pauzner H, Chetboun I, Arbel Y, David D (1991) Iraqi missile war on incidence of acute myocardial infarction and sudden death in Israeli civilians. Lancet 338: 660–661
Mirsky J, Barasch M, Goloberg K (1992) Adjustment problems among Soviet immigrants at risk. Part I: Reaching out to members of the “1000 families” organisation. Isr J Phychiatry Relat Sci 29: 135–149
Neustatter WL (1946) Seven hundred and fifty psychoneurotics and ten weeks' fly-bombing. J Ment Sci 92: 110–117
Portnoy G, Kantor D, Bar Natan E (1992) Missile attacks and nursing staff: impact of the Gulf War. Psychosoc Nurs 30: 21–22
Robinson S, Netanel R, Rapaport J (1992) Reactions of holocaust survivors to the Gulf War and scud missile attacks on Israel. Echoes Holocaust 1: 1–12
Rosenthal MK, Levy-Shiff R (1993) Threat of missile attacks in Gulf War: mothers' perceptions of young children's reactions. Am J Orthopsychiatry 63: 241–254
Shapira Y, Marganitt B, Roziner I, Shochet T, Bar Y, Shemer J (1991) Willingness of staff to report to their hospital duties following an unconventional missile attack: a state of wide survey. Isr J Med Sci 27: 704–711
Sigal M, Gelkopf M, Stern R (1990) The therapeutic implications of a strike in a psychiatric ward. Isr J Phychiatry Relat Sci 4: 216–223
Silverberg DS, Sofer E (1991) Role of the Tel-Aviv-Jaffa municipal workers in the treatment of survivors of missile blasts. Isr J Med Sci 27: 701–703
Solomon Z, Prager E (1992) Elderly Israeli holocaust survivors during the persian Gulf War: a study of psychological distress. Am J Psychiatry 149: 1707–1710
Solomon Z, Margalit C, Weisman M, Bleich A (1991) In the shadow of the Gulf War: psychological distress, social support and coping among Israeli soldiers in a high risk area. Isr J Med Sci 27: 687–695
Weisenberg M, Schwartzwald J, Waysman M, Solomon Z, Klingman A (1993) Coping of school-age children in the sealed room during scud missile bombardment and postwar stress reaction. J Counsel Clin Psychiatry 61: 462–467
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gelkopf, M., Ben-Dor, A., Abu-Zarkah, S. et al. Hospital at war: treatment changes in mental patients. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 30, 256–260 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00805791
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00805791