[Treatment of endogenous depressions by sleep deprivation].

Eighty-six patients with endogenous depression (cyclothymia, manic-depressive psychosis and schizophrenia) were treated by sleep deprivation. The efficacy of this treatment with regard to the structure of the depressive syndrome, the course of the attack and nosological nature is discussed. The author also considers the frequency, sequence and effectiveness of sessions of sleep deprivation in both hospital and outpatient settings. Series of total sleep deprivation were shown to be highly effective in cyclothymia and manic-depressive psychosis with melancholic and anesthetic depression, including cases with a protracted course.