A Retrospective Study of Maintenance Electroconvulsive Therapy in a University-Based Psychiatric Practice

We reviewed the log book of our university-based electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) service for the years 1981 to 1987. We identified 10 patients treated with monthly maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (ECT-M). These 10 patients received 3% of the ECT treatments given in this 7 year period. The review of their charts suggests that ECT-M is generally reserved for patients who are older (i.e., over 60 years of age), suffering from delusional depression and/or depressive pseudodementia, and have a history of poor response or tolerance to medications but good response to ECT. The patients had fewer hospitalizations in the 18 months after initiating ECT-M than during the 18 months preceding ECT-M (mean of 3.1 vs. 0.3, respectively, p < 0.001). However, this apparent efficacy of ECT-M may be confounded by the concurrent use of medication. A review of the literature reveals only descriptive studies on ECT-M and shows that our data are congruent with these published studies. The relative value of maintenance ECT and its specificity remain unknown. Its apparent impact on hospitalization rates and safety warrant controlled trials.