title: Electroconvulsive therapy and its association with demographic and clinical characteristics in Chinese psychiatric patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little is known about the frequency of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) use in China. This study examined the frequency of ECT and its relationship with demographic and clinical characteristics in a large psychiatric institution in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective chart review of all the 19,982 inpatients aged 18 to 59 years treated during the period of 8 years (2007-2013) in a tertiary psychiatric institution in Beijing. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected from the electronic chart management system for discharged patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of ECT use was 57.7% in the whole sample, 68.4% in bipolar disorders, 66.3% in major depression, 55.2% in schizophrenia, and 28.6% in other psychiatric disorders. Patients who received ECT (ECT group) had shorter length of hospitalization compared with the non-ECT group. In multiple logistic regression analysis, ECT use was independently associated with age younger than 30 years; higher risk for suicide and aggression at time of admission; mood disorders; lower risk for falls; more treatment with antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and antidepressants; less health insurance coverage and major medical conditions; as well as non-local residency status. Compared with 2007 (35.5%), ECT use significantly increased in the period of 2008 (49.1%) to 2013 (61.9%). All these significant correlates combined explained 20% of the variance of ECT use (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a major psychiatric center in China, the use of ECT was much more common than the figures reported from most countries around the world. Reasons for this difference and variances in outcomes between settings with higher and lower ECT use should be studied.
authors.affiliation: From the *Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; †Department of Psychiatry, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China; ‡Division of Psychiatry Research, The Zucker Hillside Hospital, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, Glen Oaks, NY; §The University of Notre Dame Australia/Marian Centre, Perth, Australia; ∥School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia; ¶Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; and #Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Min
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Yan-Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Helen F K
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Christoph U
authors.initials: CU
authors.lastname: Correll
authors.forename: Gabor S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Ungvari
authors.forename: Kelly Y C
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Xiao-Lan
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Bao-Liang
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Xiang-Yang
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yu-Tao
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Xiang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D044466:Asian People; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult