There were no other statistically significant differences between lithium and antidepressants according to all other outcomes considered .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS There was adequate efficacy evidence for lithium or antidepressants preventing relapse in unipolar affective disorder , however their relative efficacy was unknown .
BACKGROUND The main rationale for the use of lithium in the long-term treatment of unipolar affective disorder is its efficacy in treating bipolar affective disorder and resistant depression .
However , there is considerable uncertainty about which pharmacological intervention is most effective in the long-term treatment of recurrent unipolar affective disorder .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of lithium versus antidepressants for the long-term treatment of recurrent affective disorder .
Lithium sustains the acute antidepressant effects of sleep deprivation: Preliminary findings from a controlled study
Early morning sleep deprivation ( patient awake from 0200 to 2200 hours ) produces a same-day antidepressant effect in approximately one-half of patients with major depression . Unfortunately , these antidepressant effects are short-lived and patients usually relapse to baseline depression levels within 48 hours . Recent work suggests , however , that the use of lithium with early morning sleep deprivation sustains this rapid antidepressant effect and makes it clinical ly useful . In a 30-day study , we compared the abilities of four different treatments ( lithium plus early morning sleep deprivation , lithium plus a control sleep deprivation procedure , and desipramine with either of the two sleep manipulations ) to induce a rapid ( next-day ) and sustained antidepressant response in 16 depressed patients .  Lithium plus early morning sleep deprivation produced a quicker response than lithium with the control sleep deprivation , and the response was sustained for at least 30 days . In this design , however , lithium/early morning sleep deprivation was no faster than either of the two desipramine/sleep deprivation conditions in inducing remission . These results support the results of previous studies and suggest further investigation of this novel sleep/pharmacologic intervention is warranted
There were no other statistically significant differences between lithium and antidepressants according to all other outcomes considered .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS There was adequate efficacy evidence for lithium or antidepressants preventing relapse in unipolar affective disorder , however their relative efficacy was unknown .
BACKGROUND The main rationale for the use of lithium in the long-term treatment of unipolar affective disorder is its efficacy in treating bipolar affective disorder and resistant depression .
However , there is considerable uncertainty about which pharmacological intervention is most effective in the long-term treatment of recurrent unipolar affective disorder .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of lithium versus antidepressants for the long-term treatment of recurrent affective disorder .