Background: About 150,000 Danes will constantly have symptoms of depression, and 20% of those are admitted to a psychiatric hospital at least once. When admitted, the patients are highly tormented and many have suicide thoughts. The treatment of depression in a ward consists of beginning or adjustment of antidepressive medication combined with for instance milieu therapy, psychotherapy and exercise offers. Full effect of medical treatment is only reached after 4-6 weeks, and no quicker effect is documented in the other treatment methods. Therefore, methods are needed which quickly, effectively and without large side effects can reduce the symptoms. Wake therapy is a treatment method which has appeared to stop or reduce depressive symptoms within hours, and several studies have demonstrated that up to 66% of the patients responded to wake therapy. The method consists in the patients staying awake for one night and the following day, in all 36 hours, which is followed by one night of sleep. Light therapy and stabilisation of circadian rhythm have been shown to maintain the effect of wake therapy.