Efficacy of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Various Psychiatric Disorders: A Hospital Based Longitudinal Follow-up Study
VC10-VC14
Correspondence
Dr. Yuman Kawoos,
Resident Doctors Hostel, IMHANS, Srinagar-190003, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
E-mail: yumankawoos@ymail.com
Introduction: Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is one of the neurobiological therapies available for the treatment of various psychiatric disorders especially those resistant to pharmacotherapy or, where a rapid response is needed.
Aim: To study the response of patients with different psychiatric disorders to ECT and study the relationship between seizure duration and response.
Materials and Methods: It was a longitudinal study where a total of 40 patients were studied. Patients aged =12 years, who were resistant to pharmacotherapy or, having conditions where rapid response was warranted like suicidality or catatonia were included in our study as cases. A written informed consent was taken from all patients or their caretakers wherever necessary. Scales for assessment of various disorders were applied before and after treatment.
Results: Majority of the patients 37.5% were in the age-group of 38-47 years followed by 22.5% in 28-37 years. Only 5% of patients were aged >60 years. Males were slightly higher in number as compared to females (21:19). Affective disorders formed the major group of the patients (75%) followed by schizophrenia (10%), obsessive compulsive disorder (10%) and mental retardation (5%). Overall, 75% of patients showed >50% response to ECT with maximum response seen in affective disorders. No significant relation was seen between seizure duration and response to ECT.
Conclusion: ECT is very effective for treating various psychiatric disorders especially affective disorders. ECT is life saving in conditions like catatonia and suicidality.