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Electroconvulsive Therapy in the Treatment of Episodic Aggressive Dyscontrol in Psychotic Patients
David B. Schnur1, Sukdeb Mukherjee, Jonathan Silver
1Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University; Special Treatment Unit, Creedmoor Psychiatric Center; and Department of Clinical Neuropsychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA.
Abstract:
Five patients with chronic psychosis and episodic aggressive dyscontrol were treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Four patients also demonstrated clinical evidence of seizure disorder. ECT resulted in marked reduction of both episodic aggressive dyscontrol and clinical seizures, with modest improvement of psychosis. No patient developed clinical signs of organic brain syndrome during ECT. Albeit in a small number of patients, our findings indicate that ECT may have short-term therapeutic effects on episodic aggressive dyscontrol in patients with chronic psychoses.