Chromosome Abnormalities and Psychotropic Drugs

Abstract

DURING a study of chromosome abnormalities in five patients treated with d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) we examined thirty patients in a mental hospital and ten hospital staff members as controls. The frequency of gaps was significantly higher in the thirty patients than in the staff members group (χ² = 6.859, P < 0.01). When we divided the control group of patients into those treated with drugs and those not treated with drugs, we found that the frequency of gaps and breaks in the group treated with drugs was significantly higher than in the group of patients not treated with drugs (χ² = 10.399, P < 0.005, P(Fisher) = 0.037, Table 1).