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Maintenance ECT: A Survey of Practice (1986)
1Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, University of Southern California, School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Convulsive Therapy
|January 1, 1987
Summary
Maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is utilized by over half of surveyed practitioners, primarily for depression. Memory impairment is the most frequently reported risk associated with this ongoing treatment.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Neurology
Background:
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a treatment for severe mental disorders.
- Maintenance or continuation ECT involves ongoing ECT sessions after initial improvement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the current use of maintenance or continuation electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) among practitioners.
- To identify patient populations and treatment parameters for maintenance ECT.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire was distributed to 173 electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) practitioners.
- Eighty-six practitioners responded, providing data on their use of maintenance ECT.
Main Results:
- 51 out of 86 respondents reported using maintenance ECT.
- Depression was the primary diagnosis (90%) in patients receiving maintenance ECT.
- Memory impairment was the most commonly cited risk, with treatments often administered monthly.
Conclusions:
- Maintenance ECT is a recognized practice among a significant portion of ECT practitioners.
- Its use is predominantly for depressive disorders, with careful consideration of potential risks like memory impairment.