title: Hand parameter differences between psychiatric patients and normal controls: a preliminary evaluation.
abstract: The basic assumption of this study was that it is possible to identify unusual hand features in the hands of unusual populations, and that a combination of certain unusual hand features can be associated with mental illness. One hundred and seventeen people were studied in two groups: 63 mental patients (40 males, 23 females) hospitalized in the Abarbanel Hospital, Israel, and a control group of 54 people (27 males, 27 females). Twelve hand parameters were studied, and 11 of them were found to be significantly different. Out of them, 7 show the significant result of p < 0.001. The results of this study suggest that the features of the hand may be considered as a part of the phenomenon of minor physical anomalies which are apparently neurodevelopmental markers. It suggests also the desirability of further research in this area.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Department, Yehuda Abarbanel Medical Mental Health Center, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brill
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales