[Tests on the vegetative dynamics of depression under thymoleptic treatment]

Abstract

40 patients with endogenic depression, who exhibited an inhibited-mel ancholic symptomatology received Dibenzepin (30 patients) and Imipramin (10 patients) as a mood-elucidating and activating anti-depressant. Exact determinations of blood pressure, pulse rate, the orthostatic-reaction, Schellong's test and the cold-pressure test were carried out on these patients. The results were tabulated. They show fundamentally that (1) the thymoleptic circulatory reaction as a sign of the influence of the vegetative functions makes possible in many cases a prognosis of the secondary effects of treatment and (2) a strong acceleration in the rate of pulse, and a rise in the systolic blood pressure at rest as well as the normalization of the orthostatic-test chiefly indicate an improvement or remission of depression.