Use of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Adolescents: A Retrospective Study

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical profile of adolescents aged up to 19 years who had received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

A retrospective chart review was carried out to identify adolescents aged up to 19 years who had received ECT during the period 2012-2018. Details regarding their sociodemographic and clinical variables and ECT data were extracted from the records.

During the study period, a total of 51 adolescents received ECT, and complete records of 50 patients were available for analysis. 4.04% (51 out of 1260) of the patients who received ECT were aged up to 19 years. There was a decreasing trend of use of ECT over the years. The most common diagnosis was schizophrenia (42%), and this was followed by bipolar disorder (22%) and unipolar depression (20%). The mean number of ECTs administered per patient was 8.84 (SD: 5.34; range: 1-21). On the various rating scales, the percentage improvement in patients with psychotic disorders was 77.4%. For patients with depression, the percentage improvement was 77.2%, and that for mania was 80.3%. The percentage improvement in organic catatonia was 64.6%. The number of patients achieving ≥50% response ranged from 87.5% to 100%, and when the response was defined as ≥75% improvement, the proportion of patients varied from 50% to 76.9%. The majority of patients with depression (72.7%) and mania (77.8%) achieved remission. Immediate complications associated with the use of ECT included acute blood pressure changes (18%).