Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T02:14:20.731Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Does psychosis predict response to ECT in depressed elderly patients?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Niall Gormley ,
Con Cullen ,
Liam Watters ,
Michael Philpot  and
Brian A Lawlor
Niall Gormley
Affiliation:
Section of old age psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, England
Con Cullen
Affiliation:
St. Patrick's Hospital, James's St, Dublin, Ireland
Liam Watters
Affiliation:
Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, England
Michael Philpot
Affiliation:
Maudsley Hospital, London, England
Brian A Lawlor
Affiliation:
St. Patrick's Hospital, James's St, Dublin, Ireland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the electroconvulsive therapy response of a sample of depressed elderly patients as a function of the presence or absence of psychosis.

Method: Retrospective study of patients over age 65 treated with ECT at three psychiatric hospitals over a three year period.

Results: One hundred and eighty-nine ECT courses were administered to 135 patients. Almost 8 5% of patients made a marked or moderately good response to treatment. There was no difference in ECT response between psychotic and non-psychotic depressed patients.

Conclusions: ECT should be considered as a treatment option for severe depressive illness, regardless of depressive subtype.

Keywords

Electroconvulsive therapyElderlyPsychosisOutcome
Type
Original Papers
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 16 , Issue 1 , March 1999 , pp. 13 - 15
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1999

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Benbow, SM. The role of electroconvulsive therapy in the treatment of depressive illness in old age. Br J Psychiatry 1989; 155: 147–52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Johnstone, EC, Deakin, JF, Lawler, P, et al.The Northwick Park electroconvulsive therapy trial. Lancet 1980; ii: 1317–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Brandon, S, Cowley, P, McDonald, Cet al.Electroconvulsive therapy: results in depressive illness from the Leicestershire trial. BMJ 1984; 288: 22–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4.Buchan, H, Johnstone, E, McPherson, K, Palmer, RL, Crow, TJ, Brandon, S. Who benefits from electroconvulsive therapy? Combined results of the Leicester and Northwick Park trials. Br J Psychiatry 1992; 160: 355–59.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Mulsant, BH, Rosen, J, Thornton, JE, Zubenko, GS. A prospective naturalistic study of electroconvulsive therapy in late-life depression. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1991; 4: 3–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Hale, AS. ABC of mental health: Depression. BMJ 1997; 515: 43–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.Freeman, CP, ed. The ECT Handbook. The Second Report of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Special Committee on ECT. London: Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1995.Google Scholar
8.Sobin, C, Prudic, J, Devanand, DP, Nobler, MS, Sackeim, HA. Who responds to electroconvulsive therapy. A comparison of effective and ineffective forms of treatment. Br J Psychiatry 1996; 169: 322–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.O'Leary, D, Gill, D, Gregory, S, Shawcross, C. Which depressed patients respond to ECT. The Nottingham results. J Affect Disord 1995; 33:245–50.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.World Health Organisation. The 10th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. Geneva: WHO, 1992.Google Scholar
11.Alexopoulos, GSet al.Recovery in geriatric depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1996; 53: 305–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.Keller, MB, Herman, GL, Lavori, PW, Fawcett, JA, Coryell, W, Endicott, J. Treatment received by depressed patients. J Am Med Assoc 1982; 248:1848–55.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13.Burvill, PW, Mowry, B, Hall, WD. Quantification of physical illness in psychiatric research in the elderly. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 1990; 5:161–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14.Joffe, RT, Kellner, CH. The role of ECT in refractory depression. Convulsive Ther 1995; 11: 77–9.Google ScholarPubMed
15.Prudic, Jet al.Resistance to antidepressant medications and short-term clinical response to ECT. Am J Psychiatry 1996; 153: 985–92.Google ScholarPubMed
16.Alexopoulos, GS, Shamoian, CJ, Lucas, J, Weiser, N, Berger, H. Medical problems of geriatric psychiatric patients and younger controls during electroconvulsive therapy. J Am Geriatr Soc 1984; 32: 651–54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17.Price, TR, McAllister, . Safety and efficacy of ECT in depressed patients with dementia: A review of clinical experience. Convulsive Ther 1989; 5: 61–74.Google ScholarPubMed