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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
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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

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