ECT in People with an Intellectual Disability

doi:10.1017/9781911623175.007

Chapter 7 - ECT in People with an Intellectual Disability

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 June 2019

Peter Cutajar and

Jo Jones

Edited by

I. Nicol Ferrier and

Jonathan Waite

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I. Nicol Ferrier: Affiliation:
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Jonathan Waite: Affiliation:
University of Nottingham

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Summary

The evidence base for the use of ECT in people with an intellectual disability is composed almost entirely of case reports or case series. An evidence search on the use of ECT for intellectual disabilities and learning disabilities, including those with autism or catatonia, was conducted on 19 May 2017. The limited nature of this evidence, compounded with specific issues around diagnosis and consent, partially explains why ECT seems to be used less frequently in people with an intellectual disability than in the general population. It is clear, however, that adults with an intellectual disability are susceptible to the whole range of psychiatric disorders seen in the general population and that ECT may be a suitable treatment for them in some clinical situations.

Type: Chapter
Information: The ECT Handbook , pp. 50 - 62

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781911623175.007 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2019

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