Twenty-year trends in use of electroconvulsive therapy among homeless and domiciled veterans with mental illness

In an acute inpatient environment, clinicians are often faced with patients experiencing mental illness to an extent that is life-threatening, whether this is through absolute loss of the will to eat and drink, through the intense impulse towards suicide, or through the sheer exhaustion of severe mania. It is essential to have the ability to bring these symptoms under control in a way that is rapid, effective, and humane, and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) provides this. Despite enormous advances in the safe delivery, regulation, and efficacy of ECT over the last 70 years, and its ability to bring patients from stupor to recovery over (on average) just 6–12 treatments, it remains a stigmatized and stigmatizing treatment in the public eye. This chapter outlines the history of ECT, and explains how it can be safely prescribed and monitored, and who will be most likely to benefit.

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Are Patients Shocked by ECT?

Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine ◽

10.1177/014107688107400409 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 74 (4) ◽

pp. 283-285 ◽

Cited By ~ 65

Author(s):

Jennifer Hughes ◽

B M Barraclough ◽

W Reeve

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Severe Mental Illness ◽

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Seventy-two consecutive patients treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for severe mental illness were asked their opinions about ECT: 83% considered they had improved as a result of the treatment and 81% would have it again. Most found the experience neutral or pleasant and 54% thought the dentist more distressing. Claims in newspapers, magazines, television and elsewhere that ECT is cruel and frightening receive little support from the results of this study.

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233 PATIENTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS TREATED WITH ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY IN THE PRESENCE OF TUBERCULOSIS

American Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1176/ajp.111.3.177 ◽

1954 ◽

Vol 111 (3) ◽

pp. 177-183 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

H. PLEASURE

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Electroconvulsive Therapy

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Maintenance Electroconvulsive Therapy and hospital re-admission days among patients with mental illness in Malaysia

10.1101/2020.09.20.20197079 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Benedict Francis ◽

Yit Han Ng ◽

Julian Joon Ip Wong ◽

Shiau Thin Ling ◽

Jesjeet Singh Gill ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽

Treatment Modality ◽

Affective Disorders ◽

Chart Review ◽

Retrospective Chart Review ◽

National Data ◽

Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽

Maintenance Ect ◽

Review Study

Abstract Background : Relapse prevention strategies are important as part of optimal patient care. As such, maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (mECT) is an important treatment modality to keep patients in remission longer. Aims : Our study aimed to explore the characteristics of patients receiving maintenance ECT (mECT) and further investigate whether this treatment modality reduces re-admission days in patients with severe mental illness. Methods : A retrospective chart review study design was employed. The medical records of 22 patients followed up at University Malaya Medical centre, were analysed with regards to the outcome measures, which was days of re-admission post mECT, Potential confounders were controlled for via stratification analysis. Results : There was a significant reduction in re-admission days post mECT (p<0.001, r:0.85 ) across all the variables analysed. The variable with the biggest effect size were patients younger than 60 years old (p:0.01, r:0.70), followed by medication with polypharmacy (p:0.002, r: 0.65). The magnitude of reduction in re-admissions was greater in the schizophrenia spectrum group compared to the affective disorders group (r: 0.64 vs. 0.57). Conclusion : Our study provides national data regarding the efficacy of mECT in significantly reducing days of re-admission in patients with treatment resistant schizophrenia spectrum illness and affective disorders. As widespread usage of mECT is still lacking in Asia, our results is encouraging for more practitioners to prescribe mECT for their patients.

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Electroconvulsive Therapy, Malpractice, and Informed Consent

The Journal of Psychiatry & Law ◽

10.1177/009318538701500103 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 7-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sheila Taub

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Informed Consent ◽

Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽

Patients Rights ◽

Effective Form ◽

The Law

The author presents an overview of the use of electroconvulsive therapy in treating mental illness, of current research into ECT's safety and effectiveness, and of the legal treatment of ECT in malpractice and patients' rights litigation. She concludes that ECT may be overregulated because the law has not kept pace with changes in knowledge and procedures concerning ECT, with the result that some patients who might benefit from ECT may be deprived of a relatively safe and effective form of treatment.

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