Psychosomatic Medicine 26:645-660 (1964)
© 1964 American Psychosomatic Society

Psychophysiologic Studies of Pulmonary Ventilation

¹ Department of Psychiatry, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Firland Sanatorium, Seattle, Wash.

In a group of 22 subjects, action-oriented behavior has been correlated with hyperventilation in 20 subjects in response to short-term adverse life situations. Seven of the 22 subjects were found to hypoventilate in response to short-term adverse life situations to which they reacted with nonaction orientation. Seven of the 22 subjects were found to react to long-term adverse life stimuli with sustained changes in psychologic orientation and increased or decreased ventilation without a corresponding change in the fractional concentration of alveolar carbon dioxide. Reduced carbon dioxide production occurred during nonaction-oriented behavior and increased carbon dioxide production occurred during action-oriented behavior. Respiratory changes occurring during anger or anxiety were similar to those occurring during real or suggested exercise, and respiratory changes occurring during depression were similar to those occurring during real or suggested sleep.