By William A. Weathers
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Dr. James Lampton Titchener, a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, clinical investigator and writer, died Friday in Deaconess Hospital.

Dr. Titchener, a resident of North Avondale, was 80 and had been under treatment for Parkinson's disease.

Born in Binghamton, N.Y., Dr. Titchener attended Princeton University, where he competed nationally in track events before being called for active duty in the Army for World War II. He remained at Princeton under the auspices of the army to complete his pre-med training before attending Duke University Medical School, where he received his medical degree in 1949.

Dr. Titchener re-entered the army to serve his internship at Walter Reed Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he achieved the rank of first lieutenant.

He moved to Cincinnati in 1950 to begin his psychiatric training, but in August 1950 he was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, serving as general medical officer at Fort Benjamin Harrison and finishing as a captain. In July 1952, he retuned to Cincinnati and completed his psychiatric residency in 1954.

In 1955, Dr. Titchener received a five-year Career Investigator award from the U.S. Public Health Service, which helped establish that clinical investigation would be near the center of his professional interests. During his career, his principal interests focused on the immediate and long-term impact of psychic trauma.

Notable among his involvements were investigations of the survivors of the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire and the Buffalo Creek dam disaster. He was frequently sought as an expert witness in litigation and trials around the country that concerned issues of psychic damage from stress.

After his psychiatric residency, Dr. Titchener continued his training in psychoanalysis, commuting to the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis for supervision and seminar, and received his diploma in 1964.

While continuing his work in the University of Cincinnati Department of Psychiatry, he rose to professor of psychiatry. He was a founding member of the Cincinnati Pyschoanalytic Institute, where he served as a supervisor and training analyst for many years.

His concern about disasters and trauma led to his co-founding the Cincinnati Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility.

In his leisure time, family members said Dr. Titchener was famous for his passion for weekend sailboat racing with the regatta at Acton Lake.

He is survived by his wife, Judith Bain Titchener, a son, Paul F. Titchener of San Francisco; daughters, Patricia L. Titchener of Los Angeles, Jennifer T. Walters of San Francisco, and Antoinette Titchener at home; a sister, Jeanne Schmid of Salt Lake City, Utah; and two grandsons.

Dr. Titchener was previously married to Antoinette Baca Titchener, who died in 1982.

A memorial service will be 1 p.m. March 22, at Kresge Auditorium at the University of Cincinnati.

Memorials can be made to the Cincinnati Psychoanalytic Institute, 3001Highland Ave., Cincinnati 45219; and the Ohio Parkinson's Foundation, Southwest Region, 325 Third St., Fairborn OH 45324-4959.

E-mail bweathers@enquirer.com