Neuropsychiatric considerations in the use of electroconvulsive therapy.
ECT is an effective and rapidly acting treatment for certain major psychiatric disorders, even in patients with neurologic illness. Further, in some cases the neurologic illness itself also responds to ECT. Patients with some types of neurologic illness may be at increased risk of neurologic or cognitive side effects from ECT, but these risks can be lowered by careful pre-ECT evaluation and optimal ECT technique.
Krystal
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Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. krystal@cs.duke.edu
Coffey
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D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D006801:Humans