[The recovery after delirium tremens investigated by psychological testing (author's transl)].

Abstract

Following admission with delirium tremens to the University of Würzburg mental hospital, 83 alcoholics were investigated on their fourth day and their fourth week after finishing therapy for the delirium. They were investigated by psychological tests for achievement, resulting in 13 variables, and by a personality inventory. Of the 13 variables of achievement 4 increased significantly from the first investigation to the second, one was for verbal thinking, another was for numerical thinking, and finally they were two tests for attention. The personality inventory scores showed 3 significant changes indicating a clinical improvement: "nervousness", "depression", and "inhibition". For 7 variables of achievement the patients scored significantly below the normal average score, these were the 2 numerical tests, all variables of the memory tests, the verbal test, and 1 variable of the attention test. Except for the last test the average scores remained significantly below the normal average at the second investigation. The results of 5 scales of the personality inventory were significantly different to the norm in the first investigation; there were no differences on the second date.