Antidepressant effects of high-dose right unilateral electroconvulsive therapy.
In a random-assignment, double-blind, controlled comparison in 38 melancholic men, overall antidepressant potency of high-dose electroconvulsive therapy (378-mC charge) given with right unilateral electrode placement was not significantly different from that with bilateral placement, although there was a trend for faster improvement with bilateral ECT. The suprathreshold character of the stimulus, about 2.5 times the expected seizure threshold, may have contributed to the high efficacy of brief-pulse right unilateral electroconvulsive therapy found in this study.
Abrams
R
R
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School, North Chicago, IL 60064.
Swartz
C M
CM
Vedak
C
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales