Electroconvulsive therapy as an effective alternative in depressive disorder

Abstract

Introduction

The efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the treatment of depressive episodes is well established, and so is reflected in the major guides.

Objectives

Description of a clinical case of a patient diagnosed with major depressive episode with psychotic symptoms and obsessive compulsive disorder prevalence of compulsive acts that do not respond to drug treatment but to electroconvulsive therapy.

Methods

Presentation and review of a case.

Results

A 55-year-old woman diagnosed with recurrent depressive disorder with worsening in the last 4 years.

Clinical depressive Sadness, spontaneous crying in the form of access, apathy, isolation and clinofilia desires, complaints mnemonic deficits and complete anhedonia. Obsessional symptoms compulsive as more repetitive behaviors of obsessive ideas, which repeats incessantly despite checking, that does not prepare or calm. The patient has not responded to any pharmacological strategy, despite using full doses and combinations of antidepressant, but euthymics more antipsychotics (sertraline, fluoxetine, reboxetine, venlafaxine, bupropion, lithium, valproic acid, lamotrigine, risperidone, quetiapine, trifluoperazine, clotiapine). For this reason, it was decided to start treatment with ECT, progressively responds in each session, after 8 sessions the patient is euthymic, it has resumed normal activities, no obsessive or psychotic symptoms.

Conclusions

It is important to know that it is a safe technique that would save not only an economic cost, if not a personal emotional cost. It is noteworthy that more than 50% of depressed patients who respond to a course of ECT, fall between 6 and 12 months despite receiving adequate pharmacological treatment then so we will have to closely monitor the patient.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.