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Related Concept Videos

Electroconvulsive Therapy01:30

Electroconvulsive Therapy

247
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or shock therapy, remains a critical biomedical intervention for severe, treatment-resistant depression. While its origins can be traced back to Hippocrates' observations that malaria-induced convulsions alleviated mental illness, modern ECT has evolved significantly from its earlier, more primitive applications. First introduced in 1938 by Ugo Cerletti and his colleagues, ECT involves inducing controlled seizures using electrical currents. In its early...
247

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Updated: Oct 6, 2025

Pupillary Response as Assessment of Effective Seizure Induction by Electroconvulsive Therapy
04:51

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Mortality after electroconvulsive therapy.

Bradley V Watts1, Talya Peltzman2, Brian Shiner3

  • 1Department of Mental Health Services, White River Junction VA Medical Center, Vermont, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, USA; and VA Office of Systems Redesign and Improvement, Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC, USA.

The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science
|January 20, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is not associated with increased mortality. In fact, patients receiving ECT showed a reduced risk of death compared to similar patients not undergoing the treatment.

Keywords:
Suicideelectroconvulsive therapyepidemiologymilitary psychiatrymortality

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Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Clinical Neuroscience
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Limited research exists on mortality risks associated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
  • Many existing studies lack control groups or comprehensive methods for tracking patient deaths.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the risk of death within 30 days and 1 year following electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of electronic medical records from the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system (2000-2017).
  • Propensity score matching was used to compare mortality between ECT patients and a control group.

Main Results:

  • Mortality directly linked to individual ECT treatments was 3.08 per 10,000 treatments within 7 days.
  • Patients receiving ECT had a reduced relative risk of death from non-suicide causes (0.79, 95% CI 0.66-0.95) in the year post-treatment.
  • No significant difference in all-cause mortality was observed within 30 days or 1 year between ECT and control groups.

Conclusions:

  • Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) does not appear to elevate mortality risk.
  • There is an indication that ECT may be associated with reduced mortality compared to similar patients not receiving ECT.