[Chronic depressive syndrome--characteristics and therapeutic possibilities].

The files of 322 patients with depressive syndromes in the period 1978-1987, covering 413 in-patient treatments, revealed therapeutic factors whose tendency is to lengthen the period of hospitalisation. There is no indication of therapeutic factors with a tendency to reduce the length of time spent in hospital. Lithium treatment was again shown to increase the hospital stay (chronicity of the overall disorder), others being (treatment with/Netofenazat), electric shock treatment during the initial disorder, and optimum simultaneous treatment with thymoleptics.