Exploration of the clinical profile of rubidium chloride in depression: a systematic open trial.

Thirty-one female inpatient depressives underwent a systematic open trial with rubidium chloride, 180 to 720 mg/day. By week 2, at least two-thirds had improved significantly (p less than 0.01) as measured by standard rating instruments such as the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Hamilton Depression Scale. Regression analysis suggested that the retarded endogenous pattern was most predictive of positive response. Treatment-emergent symptomatology, such as diarrhea, polyuria, and excitement, was generally mild and rarely necessitated interruption of the trial. The authors conclude that this salt has shown sufficient clinical promise to warrant more extensive trials under double-blind conditions.