SOME EFFECTS OF NICOTINIC AND ASCORBIC ACIDS ON THE BEHAVIOR OF INSTITUTIONALIZED JUVENILE DELINQUENTS (FROM ECOLOGIC-BIOCHEMICAL APPROACHES TO TREATMENT OF DELINQUENTS..., 1978, BY L J HIPPCHEN - SEE NCJ-50444)

• NCJ Number: 50452
• Author(s): M E WARE
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 26 pages
• Corporate Author: Van Nostrand Reinhold
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS REPORT SUMMARIZES FINDNGS WHICH LED RESEARCHERS TO BELIEVE THAT MEGAVITAMIN THEORY MIGHT BENEFIT DELINQUENT YOUTHS. DETAILS ARE PRESENTED OF A PILOT STUDY OF 45 BOYS IN A VIRGINIA STATE INSTITUTION.

Abstract

THE VIRGINIA STUDY WAS INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF HOFFER AND OSMOND WITH SCHIZOPHRENIC CHILDREN WHICH SUGGESTED THAT CHILDREN WITH SUBNORMAL LEVELS OF ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C) AND NIACINAMID (VITAMIN B-3) SUFFERED PERCEPTUAL DISTORTION AND INDULGED IN VIOLENT, ACTING-OUT BEHAVIOR. THE URINE ANALYSES ON THESE CHILDREN, THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DIAGNOSTIC INSTRUMENT, AND THEORIES RESULTING FROM THE HOFFER AND OSMOND STUDY ON CHEMICAL CHANGES IN THE BRAIN CAUSED BY VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES ARE REVIEWED IN DETAIL. ISOLATION OF THE MALVARIAN FACTOR, A MAUVE SPOT IN THE URINE, WAS USED BY HOFFER, MAHON, O'REILLY, AND OTHERS IN WIDESPREAD SCREENINGS OF MENTAL PATIENTS, INCARCERATED ADULTS, AND JUVENILE DELINQUENTS. THEY FOUND THAT PERSONS DISPLAYING THE MALVARIAN FACTOR ALSO SHOWED PERCEPTUAL ABNORMALITIES AND ACTING-OUT BEHAVIOR. SUCH FINDINGS SUGGESTED THAT LARGE DOSES OF VITAMINS C AND B-3 MIGHT HAVE POSITIVE BENEFITS IN TREATING BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS. THE VIRGINIA STUDY SCREENED 100 DELINQUENT BOYS, AGED 16-18, AT THE BEAUMONT, VIRGINIA, SCHOOL FOR BOYS AND SELECTED 60 TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EXPERIMENT. THE TREATMENT GROUP RECEIVED 1 GRAM EACH OF VITAMIN C AND OF VITAMIN B-3, THE PLACEBO GROUP RECEIVED IDENTICAL SUGAR PILLS, AND THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED NOTHING. OVER THE COURSE OF THE 6-WEEK STUDY PERIOD 15 BOYS LEFT THE STUDY, AND THE REMAINING 45 BOYS HAD THEIR BEHAVIOR EVALUATED BY COUNSELORS POSSESSING NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE TREATMENT GROUPS. THOSE RECEIVING THE VITAMINS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT BEHAVIORAL IMPROVEMENT, THOSE RECEIVING THE PLACEBO SHOWED A MINOR BEHAVIORAL IMPROVEMENT, AND THE CONTROL GROUP DISPLAYED WORSE BEHAVIOR. A FULL-SCALE EXPERIMENT WAS PLANNED UTILIZING THE URINE TESTS BUT COULD NOT BE CARRIED OUT BECAUSE THE STAFF PSYCHIATRIST WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF VITAMIN THERAPY. SUCH A FULL-SCALE ARE PROVIDED. (GLR) ARE PROVIDED. (GLR)