Therapeutic sleep deprivation in a depressed patient: prolongation of response with concurrent thyroxine.
A 53-year-old woman with major depression was studied throughout 7 trials of therapeutic sleep deprivation (SD). Under conditions where the patients was either medication-free or receiving antidepressant therapy, improvement with SD was followed by full relapse on returning to sleep. Four SD sessions conducted while the patient was receiving thyroxine each resulted in remission, sustained for several days. These results suggest that the beneficial effects of SD may be mediated by thyroid hormones, or associated activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
Southmayd
S E
SE
Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University Ontario, Canada.
Kasurak
P
P
MacDonald
B
B
Waldron
J
J
D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012008:Recurrence; D012892:Sleep Deprivation; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000378:metabolism; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014851:Wakefulness
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D013974:Thyroxine