Discoveries

Large study finds that wake therapy is as effective as antidepressants

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According to the Office of National Statistics, anxiety or depression affects almost one in five adults in the UK. Currently, counselling therapies and antidepressant drugs are the most common form of treatment, but it can take weeks or months until positive effects are seen. Now, a meta-analysis carried out at the University of Pennsylvania has found that medically supervised periods of sleep deprivation can temporarily reduce symptoms in as little as 24 hours.

Although counterintuitive, a bout of sleeplessness could help tackle depression