Psychosomatic Medicine 11:102-109 (1949)
© 1949 American Psychosomatic Society

Sex-Hormone Relationships in Schizophrenic Men

¹ Memorial Foundation for Neuro-Endocrine Research, The Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology (Shrewsbury, Mass.) Research Service of the Worcester State Hospital

Groups of 23 normal men, 11 normal women, and 29 schizophrenic men were compared as to the urinary output of androgen, of estrogen, and of 17-ketosteroids. The ratios of these substances to each other were calculated for each of the three groups. There was considerable overlapping in the various categories but the women were found to have excreted more estrogen and less androgen and 17-ketosteroids than did the men, the differences in the means being statistically valid.

The androgen:estrogen ratio in the men surpassed that in the women in proportion of 16:3 to 2:3. The proportion of active androgen in the total ketosteroid output was also higher in the normal men than in the women.

In case of the patients (men) the total estrogen output was lower than that of the women in proportion of 15.8 to 26.8 whereas it was slightly but significantly higher (15.8 to 12.6) than that of the normal men.

The androgen output of the patients surpassed that of the women in proportion of about 12 to 7 but fell significantly below that of the normal men by a ratio of 12 to 18.

The mean androgen:estrogen ratios in the women were 2.3, in the men 16.3, and in the patients the intermediate ratio of 9.7.

In all these various hormonal categories, therefore, the schizophrenic men showed a definite approach toward the feminine patterns but remained more "masculine" than the normal women.

As regards psychologic characteristics the 5 patients with the lowest androgen-to-estrogen ratios were less aggressive than the 4 with the highest ratios. Such homosexuality as was evident was also a matter of more active concern in the latter group.

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