346 E. BLANCHE STERLING 



In other words, the major purposes of the study were to determine 

 whether these children indicated, by their behavior, any serious need for 

 psychiatric assistance, and whether the children of psychotic patients con- 

 stituted a profitable foundation on which to base a public mental health 

 program. These children were subject to a double handicap. Not only 

 were they the offspring of defective stock, but they had been subjected to 

 such an unfavorable environment in the home as would naturally result from 

 a developing psychosis in one of the parents. 



The study was made in Maryland and was under the direction of Dr. 

 George H. Preston, Commissioner of Mental Hygiene of that state. The 

 data here given is taken from his report to the Washington office and an 

 abstract made for the American Orthopsychiatric Association. The cases 

 were limited to white patients living in Baltimore City having children 

 under 18 years of age. Special attention was given to those items of be- 

 havior which we have been accustomed to look upon as significant of in- 

 stability, and possibly indicative of future neurotic or psychiatric develop- 

 ments. 



During the eleven months covered by the study, 523 psychotic adults 

 were admitted from Baltimore to the Psychiatric wards of the Baltimore 

 City Hospital and two of the Maryland State Hospitals for the Insane. A 

 striking fact that met the research staff in the beginning was the difficulty 

 in finding patients with children under 1 8. After certain necessary elimina- 

 tions were made there remained a group of 19 families containing 49 children 

 under our age limit. This feature was in agreement with the findings of 

 Dayton in a study of patients in two large State hospitals for the insane in 

 Massachusetts. He found the average number of children ever born to the 

 patients to be decidedly smaller than for the general population of the state. 

 There was also a low marriage rate in both the Baltimore and Massachusetts 

 groups. 



The patients who were the parents of the children in our study had re- 

 mained in their homes following the onset of their psychoses for periods 

 ranging from 4 months to 8 years — an average of about 34| months. In 

 many cases the children were exposed to a marked, though gradual, change 

 in the home atmosphere. These children ranged in age from infancy to 18 

 years. With a few exceptions, their health seemed to be quite good. In 

 the whole group there were only 4 children who were retarded — none who 

 could be classed as feebleminded. 



An analysis of their personality traits showed among other features, that 

 20 per cent were disobedient, 18 per cent exhibited temper tantrums, 18 per 

 cent were the victims of fears, 12 per cent had food fads, and 24 per cent 

 were described as "sensitive." 



