Manfred Sakel

Austrian psychiatrist known for developing insulin shock therapy

Manfred Sakel (1900–1957) was an Austrian psychiatrist who is best known for developing insulin shock therapy, a treatment for schizophrenia and other mental disorders.

Early life and education

Manfred Sakel was born on June 6, 1900, in Nadvirna, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He studied medicine at the University of Vienna, where he graduated in 1925. After completing his studies, Sakel worked in various psychiatric institutions in Vienna.

Development of insulin shock therapy

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Manfred Sakel

In the early 1930s, while working at the Lainz Hospital in Vienna, Sakel began experimenting with insulin as a treatment for drug addiction. He observed that inducing hypoglycemia in patients led to a reduction in psychotic symptoms. This observation led him to develop insulin shock therapy, also known as insulin coma therapy.

The therapy involved administering large doses of insulin to induce a hypoglycemic coma in patients. Sakel believed that the shock of the coma had a beneficial effect on the brain, leading to an improvement in psychiatric symptoms. Insulin shock therapy became widely used in the 1930s and 1940s as a treatment for schizophrenia.

Impact and legacy

Sakel's insulin shock therapy was one of the first biological treatments for mental illness and paved the way for other somatic therapies, such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Although insulin shock therapy is no longer used today, it was an important step in the development of modern psychiatric treatments.

Later life

In 1936, Sakel emigrated to the United States due to the rise of Nazism in Europe. He continued his work in psychiatry at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University. Sakel remained in the United States until his death on December 2, 1957.

Related pages

• Insulin shock therapy
• Schizophrenia
• Electroconvulsive therapy
• History of psychiatry