[Which signs in a depressed patient could indicate a manic transformation?].

Which signs in a depressed patient could indicate a manic transformation? All depressive states can give way to a state of manic excitation. The transformation can be spontaneous or favoured by antidepressants. The principal indices of risk of mood transformation are a personal or family history of mood disorders, thymic lability, marked psychomotor inhibition, the existence of overeating and hypersomnia, early age of onset, acute onset and resolution of episodes.

Electroconvulsive Therapy During Anticoagulant Therapy.

The safety of ECT in patients receiving anticoagulants is reviewed. In patients who failed to respond to drug therapy and in some whose cardiovascular conditions precluded the use of antidepressant drugs, the authors successfully carried out five courses of ECT in depressed patients maintained on anticoagulants. In three cases, heparin was used, blood coagulation values were closely monitored, and the dose of succinylcholine employed was increased to provide almost complete muscular paralysis during the seizure.