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Recurrent Unipolar Depressions with a 48-hour Cycle: Report of a Case

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Alan J. Gelenberg ,
Gerald L. Klerman ,
Ernest L. Hartmann  and
Patricia Salt
Alan J. Gelenberg
Affiliation:
Special Studies Clinic, Erich Lindemann Mental Health Center; Harvard Medical School, Boston; Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, 02114
Gerald L. Klerman
Affiliation:
Stanley Cobb Psychiatric Research Laboratories, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114; Harvard Medical School, Boston
Ernest L. Hartmann
Affiliation:
Sleep and Dream Laboratory, Boston State Hospital; Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston
Patricia Salt
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital
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Summary

Since 1804 there have been twelve case reports of patients with mood disorders showing a regular periodicity of 48 hours, eight bipolar and four unipolar. This paper describes an additional patient, a 57-year-old man with a 48-hour unipolar cycle. Although his 24-hour serum Cortisol pattern was abnormal, there were few clear-cut biological abnormalities. Possible mechanisms are discussed, and comparisons made with previous reports of similar patients.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 133 , Issue 2 , August 1978 , pp. 123 - 129
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1978 

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