Wake Therapy in the Treatment of Depression

Major Depressive Disorder Clinical Trial

Official title: Combined Wake Therapy, Light Therapy, and Lithium for Bipolar and Refractory Depression

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

This pilot study seeks to replicate previous findings that sleep deprivation results in marked improvement in depression symptoms, as well as to test whether concurrent treatment with Light Therapy and Lithium are successful in locking in and maintaining therapeutic effects in both bipolar and unipolar depressed subjects.

Clinical Trial Description

Both refractory depression and bipolar depression are difficult to treat. A night of complete sleep deprivation has been shown to result in marked improvement in 60% of depressed patients, although maintenance of therapeutic effects have not been sustained with wake therapy alone. This pilot study will assess the effectiveness of wake therapy in treating both bipolar depression (5 participants)and major depression (5 participants), as well as the effectiveness of concomitant light therapy and lithium in maintaining the therapeutic effects. Participants will undergo direct observation in the hospital for one week during initial treatment with alternating nights of sleep deprivation, light therapy and lithium treatment, and then will be seen weekly as outpatients for 6 weeks. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Bipolar Disorder
• Depression
• Depressive Disorder
• Depressive Disorder, Major
• Disease
• Major Depressive Disorder

• NCT number: NCT01431573
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: New York State Psychiatric Institute
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: July 2011
• Completion date: August 2016