RESUMO
Sleep deprivation or "stay awake"-therapy), given in addition to drug therapy, is seen as an effective anti-depressive treatment with actually no side effects. Nevertheless, it is not regularly and systematically used. A reason for this might be doubts about its feasibility in psychiatric hospitals without specialised depression wards. Only a few reports exist on the practical aspects of sleep deprivation. The present article informs about the "stay awake"-therapy on 101 depressive patients (in the mean 25 patient-nights per month), carried out at the Psychiatric Hospital Sanatorium Kilchberg/Zurich. The patients (age between 19 and 76, mean 47 years) participated on average in 4.4 partial sleep deprivations. 72% participated at least for a set of three nights. One staff person takes care of a group of at most five patients. Indication, organisation, night programme, care and possible strains are reported. A stay awake night (three times a week) consists of breakfast, games, conversations, taking two walks, and discussions about depression and about treatment (psychoeducation), with the aim to avoid naps and to provide a pleasant social event. The experiences made with serial partial sleep deprivation are encouraging.
