Lithium carbonate was used to treat 98 patients in the acute phase of endogenous depression and involutional melancholia; results were favourable in 54 %. This is approaching the rate of effectiveness of the tricyclical antidepressants. Qualitatively, the efficacy of lithium is well balanced, appearing in both retarded and anxious, agitated and atypical forms of depression, as reflected in the value of the index of antidepressive effect. In this sense, the effect of lithium was close to that of trimeprimine, amitriptyline, proheptatriene, perathiepine and convulsive methods. The best results were obtained on an average in depression in which the intensity of initial symptoms was low. The patient’s age, the number of phases experienced and the average blood serum lithium levels were not in any way correlated with the results of treatment. Side effects occurred in most cases, and in four, signs of intoxication appeared, but the outcome was satisfactory. Lithium cannot be recommended as routine treatment for all cases of acute endogenous depression. It is intended to investigate the possible relationship between the result of treating the acute depressive phase with lithium and the response to subsequent prophylactic administration in the same patient.
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