Twice versus thrice weekly ECT in melancholia: a double-blind prospective comparison

Thirty patients with major depressive disorder of melancholic subtype were randomly allocated to receive ECT either twice or thrice a week. Double-blind ratings on the Hamilton Scale for Depression and Clinical Global impression showed no differences in the outcome through 4 weeks of trial as well as at 6-month follow-up. Cumulative seizure duration was higher in the thrice weekly group but not significantly so in spite of having received a significantly greater number of ECTs. The results indicate that ECT given thrice a week conferred no advantage over ECT given twice a week.