Electric stimulus energy and the clinical response to electroconvulsive therapy.
The relationship between electric stimulus energy and clinical response was examined in depressed patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) under routine clinical conditions with a protocol which dichotomized the stimulus energy by patient age. There was no significant difference in the number of treatments and cumulative seizure duration between groups. The results support the observation that the stimulus energy may contribute to the therapeutic effect of ECT. Reduction of that energy in order to minimize side-effects may compromise the therapeutic effectiveness. The implications for dosage strategies in routine clinical practice are discussed.
Bean
G J
GJ
Epidemiology and Biostatistics Research Section, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Ontario.
Marchese
V
V
Martin
B A
BA
D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics