Summary
Out of 102 patients suffering from endogenous depression, it was possible to ascertain the duration of episodes in the case of 60 patients. Intraindividual comparisons among patients with unipolar depression show that sleep deprivation therapy causes a tendency to shorter depressive episodes. This tendency is related to the time of application of sleep deprivation: the sooner sleep deprivation is applied within an episode, the better the effect. Younger patients react better than older ones.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Feighner, J. P., Robins, E., Guze, S. B., Woodruff, R. A., Winokur, G., Munoz, R.: Diagnostic criteria for use in psychiatric research. Arch. Gen. Psychiat. 26, 57–63 (1972)
ICD: International Classification of Diseases, 8th revision. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer 1971
Loosen, P. T., Merkel, U., Amelung, U.: Kombinierte Schlafentzugs-/ChlorimipraminBehandlung endogener Depressionen. Arzneim.-Forsch. (Drug Res.) 26, 1177–1178 (1976)
Pflug, B.: The effect of sleep deprivation on depressed patients. Acta psychiat. scand. 53, 148–158 (1976)
Pflug, B., Tölle, R.: Disturbance of the 24-hour rhythm in endogenous depression and treatment of endogenous depression by sleep deprivation. Int. Pharmacopsychiat. 6, 187–196 (1971)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
I am grateful to Dipl.-Psych. Dr. E. Straube for his assistance with the statistical calculation.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pflug, B. The influence of sleep deprivation on the duration of endogenous depressive episodes. Arch. Psychiat. Nervenkr. 225, 173–177 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00343401
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00343401