Sleep deprivation as a diagnostic instrument.
A 59-year-old man with chronic treatment-resistant depression developed severe cognitive impairment. The severity of depression and the mode of presentation led to difficulty in diagnosis between a dementing disorder and a depressive illness. The diagnostic conundrum was resolved by the use of sleep deprivation (SD), which demonstrated clear subjective and objective improvements in his condition. These changes were quantified by a range of psychometric tests, which showed that initial deficits in cognitive performance improved temporarily after SD, and these improvements were maintained after effective treatment of the depression with electroconvulsive therapy.
St James's University Hospital, Leeds.
C J
CJ
Williams
J D
JD
Yeomans
A K
AK
Coughlan
D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012892:Sleep Deprivation