Frequency and Duration of Course of ECT Sessions: An Appraisal of Recent Evidence

Understanding the Patient Landscape: A Ten-Year Retrospective Examination of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Romania's Largest Psychiatric Hospital

The aim of this analysis was to investigate the socio-demographic and clinical profile, the effectiveness, and the association of pharmacological treatment in patients who underwent electroconvulsive therapy during the last 10 years in the largest psychiatric hospital in Romania. This study includes 249 patients aged between 18 and 73 years old. Recurrent depression was the most frequent diagnosis for which ECT was performed (T = 96, 38.55%), followed by schizophrenia (T = 72, 28.91%). The most frequent indication for ECT was treatment resistance (T = 154, 61.84%), followed by persistent suicidal ideation (T = 54, 21.68%) and catatonia (T = 42, 16.86%). In 111 (44.60%) cases included in this study, re-hospitalization was required after performing ECT, while 138 (55.40%) participants did not require any further hospital readmissions. Significant differences were found between these groups in terms of socio-demographic data, diagnosis, number of ECT sessions performed, and association of psychotropic medication during and after the procedure, therefore two separate patient profiles were found based on these characteristics. Patients necessitating re-hospitalization post-ECT were mainly males aged 25-44 diagnosed with schizophrenia and underwent a greater number of ECT sessions (7-12), whereas those not requiring re-hospitalization were predominantly females aged 45-64 with recurrent depressive disorder for which 4-6 ECT sessions were performed.

Pre-treatment predictors of cognitive side-effects after treatment with electroconvulsive therapy in patients with depression: A multicenter study

BACKGROUND

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective treatment for major depressive episodes (MDE). However, ECT-induced cognitive side-effects remain a concern. Identification of pre-treatment predictors that contribute to these side-effects remain unclear. We examined cognitive performance and individual cognitive profiles over time (up to six months) following ECT and investigated possible pre-treatment clinical and demographic predictors of cognitive decline shortly after ECT.

METHODS

634 patients with MDE from five sites were included with recruitment periods between 2001 and 2020. Linear mixed models were used to examine how cognitive performance, assessed with an extensive neuropsychological test battery, evolved over time following ECT. Next, possible pre-treatment predictors of cognitive side-effects directly after ECT were examined using linear regression.

RESULTS

Directly after ECT, only verbal fluency (animal and letter; p < 0.0001; Cohen's d: -0.25 and -0.29 respectively) and verbal recall (p < 0.0001; Cohen's d: -0.26) significantly declined. However, during three and six months of follow-up, cognitive performance across all domains significantly improved, even outperforming baseline levels. No other pre-treatment factor than a younger age predicted a larger deterioration in cognitive performance shortly after ECT.

LIMITATIONS

There was a substantial amount of missing data especially at 6 months follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings show that verbal fluency and memory retention are temporarily affected immediately after ECT. Younger patients may be more susceptible to experiencing these acute cognitive side-effects, which seems to be mostly due to a more intact cognitive functioning prior to ECT. These findings could contribute to decision-making regarding treatment selection, psychoeducation, and guidance during an ECT course.

Systematic review: Electroconvulsive therapy for treatment-resistant mood disorders in children and adolescents

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a well-established treatment for adults with mood disorders. However, its use in child and adolescent populations is less common. At the same time, approximately 60% of child and adolescent patients do not respond satisfactorily to first-line treatments for mood disorders. Given the need for effective treatments for severe mood disorders in adolescents and the low use rate of ECT, this systematic review examines the existing literature on the effectiveness and adverse effect profile of ECT when used for treatment-resistant mood disorders in children and adolescents. Searches were conducted in Medline, Embase, and PsycInfo using search terms related to (1) children and adolescents, (2) mood disorders, and (3) ECT. Searches identified 1715 unique articles. The full text of 71 selected articles were reviewed, leading to 41 studies included in the study. A standardized data extraction tool was used to collect key information from each study (i.e. author and publication year, objectives, participants and setting, design, measures, clinical outcomes, and side effects). As most of the studies found were case series, the Joanna Briggs Institute Case Series Critical Appraisal tool was used to assess quality. Studies were summarized qualitatively by comparing findings across key study parameters. Our review identified 41 studies for inclusion. Twenty were case series, two were case-control studies, and nineteen were case reports. Overall treatment response rates ranged from 51 to 92%, with patients receiving an average of 12 treatments. Among studies with n > 30, response rates were largely 70-82% for depression and 87-90% for mania. Seven studies used the Mini-Mental State Exam and found no evidence of significant post-treatment cognitive impairment. The majority of side effects were minor and transient. Tardive seizure was reported in 4 (0.6%) patients. ECT was discontinued early due to side effects in 11 (1.5%) cases. No fatalities were reported. Our data suggest that ECT is safe and effective for the treatment of mood disorders in child and adolescent populations, and should be considered in severe and treatment-refractory cases. Controlled studies with objective measures and long-term follow-up are needed to advance the evidence base.

The impact of the number of electroconvulsive therapy sessions on relapse in major depressive disorder

OBJECTIVE

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, high relapse rates after ECT represent clinical problems. To date, influence of number of ECT sessions on relapse rate remains to be elucidated. We evaluated associations between number of ECT sessions and relapse rate.

METHODS

This retrospective review collected clinical data of 53 patients with MDD who received ECT. They underwent a 1-year follow-up after their last ECT session. We performed survival analysis to evaluate associations between number of ECT sessions and time until rehospitalisation or suicide.

RESULTS

The patients were divided into a higher number of ECT group (≧8 sessions) and lower number of ECT group (<8 sessions). No significant difference was found regarding the patients' clinical and demographic data. Survival analysis using log-rank test revealed that the cumulative survival rate in the higher number of ECT group (79%) was higher compared with the lower number of ECT group (49%) (p = 0.042).

CONCLUSION

Patients who underwent a higher number of ECT had improved survival rate compared with those who received a lower number. Therefore, additional sessions might be necessary, even in patients who achieved remission within seven ECT sessions, to prevent relapse.Key pointsHigh rate of relapse after ECT is a key problem.Impact of the Number of ECT sessions on relapse remains to be elucidated.In the present study, the patients with MDD who underwent eight or more sessions of ECT showed significant lower relapse rate compared with those who received less than eight sessions.

One-Year Clinical Outcomes Following Electroconvulsive Therapy for Patients with Schizophrenia: A Nationwide Health Insurance Data-Based Study

BACKGROUND

Although the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the treatment of schizophrenia has decreased since the advent of antipsychotic drugs, ECT is still implemented in several clinical indications. However, a few population-based studies have examined its real-world effectiveness in schizophrenia.

METHODS

We used data from 2010 to 2019 from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database in the Republic of Korea. We selected 380 schizophrenia patients having more than six ECT sessions and 1140 patient controls matched for age, sex, calendar year at entry, and the number of psychiatric hospitalizations before the time point of start of psychiatric hospitalization for ECT. Antipsychotic treatment discontinuation, psychiatric hospitalization, and direct medical costs were used as measures of clinical outcomes. Multiple regression analysis was used for any group-by-time interaction effect, and 1-year pre- and post-ECT periods were compared within and between the groups.

RESULTS

We found a significantly lower number of antipsychotic treatment discontinuations in the ECT group during the 1-year post-ECT period (t=2.195, p=0.028). A larger decrease was found in the number of psychiatric hospitalizations in the ECT group, with a group-by-time interaction effect (p=0.043). The direct medical costs in the 1-year pre- (t=-8.782, p<0.001) and post-ECT periods (t=-9.107, p<0.001) were higher in the ECT group than in the control group, with no significant change across both periods.

CONCLUSION

We found that the ECT group had a larger decrease in the number of psychiatric hospitalizations in the 1-year post-ECT period than the control group.

Case report: delayed response after electroconvulsive therapy in a patient with major depressive disorder

BACKGROUND

Major depressive disorder and associated mood syndromes are amongst the most common psychiatric disorders. To date, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered the most effective short-term treatment for patients with severe or treatment-resistant depression. In clinical practice, there is considerable variation in the ECT dosing schedule, with the number of sessions typically ranging from 6 to 12, with early antidepressant effects being predictive of increased positive outcomes. We describe here an unusual case of a female patient with severe depression who did not respond to ECT until the 11th session, after which she had shown a drastic improvement in her mental state.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 75-year-old female presented to the old age psychiatry inpatient unit with new onset dysphoric mood, anhedonia, and severe negativity. She scored 23 on the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), and was rated 6 on Clinical Global Impression severity (CGIS) by the responsible clinician. She suffered from post-natal depression fifty years ago and was successfully treated with ECT. She was therefore initiated on a course of ECT treatment. Her condition initially deteriorated, displaying features of catatonia and psychosis, unresponsive to ECT treatment or concurrent psychotropic medications. After 11th ECT session, she started to show signs of clinical improvement and returned close to her baseline mental state after a total of 17 ECT sessions. She remained well 3 months post-treatment, scoring 4 on HAM-D, Clinical Global Improvement or change (CGI-C) rated as 1 (very much improved). The diagnosis was ICD-10 F32.3 severe depressive episode with psychotic symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

we describe here an unusual case of delayed response to electroconvulsive therapy in the treatment of severe depressive disorder. Studies have shown the number of acute ECT treatments to be highly variable, affected by a number of factors including treatment frequency, condition treated and its severity, the ECT technical parameters, as well as concurrent use of pharmacological treatment. This may call for re-consideration of the current ECT treatment guidelines, requiring more research to help stratify and standardize the treatment regime.