Therapeutic results in brief-interval unilateral ECT.
The study reported comprised 104 patients with endogenous depression who were given unilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The patients were divided into two equally large groups, one receiving two and the other four treatments per week. The latter group was selected openly, while the former had been collected by a double-blind technique on a previous occasion. The severity of depression was assessed before the first treatment and on the days after the sixth and the last treatment, and at these times memory testing by WMS Forms I and II and EEG were also performed. An analysis is presented of the therapeutic effect obtained, assessed by: (1) the number of treatments applied in the two groups; (2) the reduction in the depression score; and (3) the effect achieved per treatment. In the group with frequent electrostimulation one to two addititional treatments were required, the difference being statistically significant. On the other hand, frequent stimulation tended to be more effective in terms of the reduction in the depression score. The effect per treatment was identical in the two groups. Four treatments per week did not result in a higher frequency of complications. A comparison of the five severest depressions in each of the two groups did not reveal any difference in the therapeutic effect of the two methods of treatment. It is concluded that the technique with four treatments per week instead of two offers the advantage that the duration of the treatment period is reduced by 11-12 days. As the study also revealed that the discomforts, including memory impairment, are not increased by frequent stimulation, it is recommended that unilateral ECT is administered with a frequency of four treatments per week.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged