Psychosomatic Medicine 8:98-109 (1946)
© 1946 American Psychosomatic Society

A Study of Personality of Normal Young Men Maintained on Restricted Intakes of Vitamins of the B Complex

¹ The Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

1. Various aspects of personality were studied in eight normal young men maintained 161 days on a partially restricted intake of B-complex vitamins, which was followed by 23 days of acute deficiency, and 10 days of thiamine supplementation.

2. Self-ratings and man-by-man ratings gave no evidence of change in the status of well-being and adjustment during the partial restriction, but indicate consistent and striking deterioration during the acute deficiency. Supplementation of the diet by thiamine alone produced rapid recovery.

3. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory also gave no evidence of change in the partial restriction. During the acute deficiency, significant changes were obtained in the scores on the three psychoneurotic scales--depression, hysteria, and hypochondriasis.

4. In the Rorschach test records made at the end of the partial restriction slight deteriorative changes were indicated in three out of the four experimental subjects. These changes increased in magnitude in the pair of subjects placed subsequently on the acutely deficient diet. The nature of this deterioration was loss of spontaneity, with an increase in tension. The Rorschach findings suggested that individuals with "better" initial personality were better able to resist the dietary stress.

5. Cattell's Cursive Miniature Situations Test during the partial restriction indicated a very slight and statistically not significant increase in the number of lines erroneously crossed ("emotionality" score). During the acute deficiency, there were evidences of further increased "emotionality" and "timidity." On the other hand, those indices which have distinguished psychotics from normals showed no change in our deficient subjects.

6. The personality changes were among the earliest symptoms of the experimentally produced borderline and acute deficiencies.

Note:
The work described in this paper was done under a contract, recommended by the Committee on Medical Research, between the Office of Scientific Research and Development and the Regents of the University of Minnesota. Important financial assistance was also provided by the Nutrition Foundation, Inc., the U. S. Cane Sugar Refiners' Association, N. Y., the Corn Industries Research Foundation, N. Y., Swift and Co., Chicago, the National Confectioners' Association, Chicago, the National Dairy Council, Chicago, and the Graduate Medical Research Fund, University of Minnesota. Merck and Co., Inc. provided a generous supply of pure vitamins. Most of the food materials were supplied by the Subsistence Branch, Office of the Quartermaster General, U. S. Army.

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