Can staying awake beat depression?

Re:Can staying awake beat depression? by IntronExon on Tuesday January 23, 2018 @06:17PM (#16218825)

Sleep deprivation doesn’t make you feel like you’re going nuts, it makes you go nuts. Hallucinations, paranoia, agitation, transient hypnogogic states, memory loss, and eventually psychosis.

I’m glad that you pulled through.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Can staying awake beat depression? by apotheosis on Wednesday January 24, 2018 @12:38AM (#16220582)

Can you source? Specifically the "eventual psychosis" part?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Can staying awake beat depression? by IntronExon on Wednesday January 24, 2018 @01:14AM (#16220730)

I can, but it’s not just one source with one clear answer.

https://www.uni-bonn.de/Press-releases/sleep-deprivation-lea...

http://www.jneurosci.org/content/34/27/9134.short

Lighter reading:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-a-lack-of-sle...

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/how-sleep...

I should admit that there is still some debate around this issue, with key points being:

1. Do people who experience a psychotic break or symptoms during sleep deprivation represent a vulnerable group?

2. Sleep deprivation is often seen in the context of stimulants, from caffeine to methamphetamine, and they are known to potentially lead to psychosis when abused.

Personally I’m in the camp who believes that sleep deprivation is more than capable of leading to transient psychosis without preexisting risk factors. The problem is that long term sleep deprivstion studies can’t be done for ethical reasons, so it’s hard to know for sure. Ultimately it comes down to a combination of studying more limited sleep deprivation, and evidence gathered in the field over time. It is all highly suggestive though.

[ Parent | on HN ]