[Sleep deprivation as antidepressive treatment]. 2007

Håvard Kallestad, and Knut Langsrud, and Bjarne Hansen
St. Olavs Hospital Psykiatrisk divisjon, avdeling Østmarka, 7006 Trondheim. havard.kallestad@ntnu.no

BACKGROUND Sleep deprivation, i.e. keeping patients awake for approximately 35 hours, is an antidepressive treatment that is rarely used in Norway. METHODS Review of a selection of publications from Medline, ISI, and psychINFO. The treatment is illustrated with two clinical vignettes. CONCLUSIONS Sleep deprivation is a well documented treatment of depression. The effect is transient but can be prolonged by sleep phase advancement, concurrent pharmacological treatment, and light therapy. The effect is comparable to other standard treatments for depression, but is reported to occur within hours rather than weeks. There are few studies with follow-up results for more than two weeks and there is uncertainty regarding the mechanisms of change that are involved in sleep deprivation. Our two pilot patients experienced over 50% symptom reduction in three days. Results from these patients indicate that it may be of interest to study the course of response to sleep deprivation and three day sleep phase advancement for several weeks, and whether the treatment has the additional effect of improving sleep quality and stabilizing diurnal rhythm.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D002940 Circadian Rhythm The regular recurrence, in cycles of about 24 hours, of biological processes or activities, such as sensitivity to drugs or environmental and physiological stimuli. Diurnal Rhythm,Nyctohemeral Rhythm,Twenty-Four Hour Rhythm,Nycthemeral Rhythm,Circadian Rhythms,Diurnal Rhythms,Nycthemeral Rhythms,Nyctohemeral Rhythms,Rhythm, Circadian,Rhythm, Diurnal,Rhythm, Nycthemeral,Rhythm, Nyctohemeral,Rhythm, Twenty-Four Hour,Rhythms, Circadian,Rhythms, Diurnal,Rhythms, Nycthemeral,Rhythms, Nyctohemeral,Rhythms, Twenty-Four Hour,Twenty Four Hour Rhythm,Twenty-Four Hour Rhythms
D003863 Depression Depressive states usually of moderate intensity in contrast with MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER present in neurotic and psychotic disorders. Depressive Symptoms,Emotional Depression,Depression, Emotional,Depressive Symptom,Symptom, Depressive
D003866 Depressive Disorder An affective disorder manifested by either a dysphoric mood or loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities. The mood disturbance is prominent and relatively persistent. Depression, Endogenous,Depression, Neurotic,Depression, Unipolar,Depressive Syndrome,Melancholia,Neurosis, Depressive,Unipolar Depression,Depressions, Endogenous,Depressions, Neurotic,Depressions, Unipolar,Depressive Disorders,Depressive Neuroses,Depressive Neurosis,Depressive Syndromes,Disorder, Depressive,Disorders, Depressive,Endogenous Depression,Endogenous Depressions,Melancholias,Neuroses, Depressive,Neurotic Depression,Neurotic Depressions,Syndrome, Depressive,Syndromes, Depressive,Unipolar Depressions
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D012892 Sleep Deprivation The state of being deprived of sleep under experimental conditions, due to life events, or from a wide variety of pathophysiologic causes such as medication effect, chronic illness, psychiatric illness, or sleep disorder. Inadequate Sleep,Insufficient Sleep,Insufficient Sleep Syndrome,REM Sleep Deprivation,Sleep Debt,Sleep Fragmentation,Sleep Insufficiency,Deprivation, REM Sleep,Deprivation, Sleep,Fragmentation, Sleep,Insufficiencies, Sleep,Insufficiency, Sleep,Insufficient Sleep Syndromes,Sleep Deprivation, REM,Sleep Insufficiencies,Sleep, Inadequate,Sleep, Insufficient,Syndrome, Insufficient Sleep
D016896 Treatment Outcome Evaluation undertaken to assess the results or consequences of management and procedures used in combating disease in order to determine the efficacy, effectiveness, safety, and practicability of these interventions in individual cases or series. Rehabilitation Outcome,Treatment Effectiveness,Clinical Effectiveness,Clinical Efficacy,Patient-Relevant Outcome,Treatment Efficacy,Effectiveness, Clinical,Effectiveness, Treatment,Efficacy, Clinical,Efficacy, Treatment,Outcome, Patient-Relevant,Outcome, Rehabilitation,Outcome, Treatment,Outcomes, Patient-Relevant,Patient Relevant Outcome,Patient-Relevant Outcomes

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