title: Early effects of modern electroconvulsive therapy on subjective memory in patients with mania or depression.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered a very effective tool for the treatment of psychiatric diseases, memory disturbances are among the most important adverse effects.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to assess prospectively early subjective memory complaints in depressive and manic patients due to bilateral, brief-pulse ECT, at different stages of the treatment, compare the associations between psychiatric diagnosis, sociodemographic characteristics, and ECT characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective study was done with patients undergoing ECT between November 2008 and April 2009 at a tertiary care psychiatry hospital of 2000 beds.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 140 patients, scheduled for ECT with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (depressive or manic episode) or unipolar depression according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV diagnostic criteria, were included in the study and invited to complete the Squire Subjective Memory Questionnaire (SSMQ) before ECT, after the first and third sessions and end of ECT treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mean values were compared with the Kruskal-Wallis test and comparison of the longitudinal data was performed with a nonparametric longitudinal data analysis method, F1_LD_F1 design.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SSMQ scores of the patients before ECT were zero. SSMQ scores showed a decrease after the first and third ECT sessions and before discharge, showing a memory disturbance after ECT and were significantly less severe in patients with mania in comparison to those with depression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest an increasing degree of subjective memory complaints with bilateral brief-pulse ECT parallel to the increasing number of ECT sessions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul Teaching Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sevda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bag
authors.affiliation: Electroconvulsive Therapy Center, Bakirkoy Teaching Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozge
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Canbek
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yildirim Beyazit University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ilhan Murat
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Atagun
authors.affiliation: Electroconvulsive Therapy Center, Bakirkoy Teaching Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tarik Mehmet
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Kutlar
keywords: Bilateral electroconvulsive therapy; depression; mania; subjective memory complaint