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Recovery from ECT in Elderly Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

R. M. Fraser  and
I. B. Glass
R. M. Fraser
Affiliation:
The London Hospital, Whitechapel E1, and Goodmayes Hospital, Ilford, Essex
I. B. Glass
Affiliation:
Goodmayes Hospital, Ilford, Essex
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Summary

Nine elderly depressed patients were given ECT in courses which alternated unilateral and bilateral electrode placement; recovery times were measured. When compared with similar times for younger patients, recovery took on average five times as long from unilateral treatment and nine times as long from bilateral. Within the group, bilateral treatment took significantly longer for recovery than unilateral treatment and was significantly more sensitive to cumulative effect and interval effect.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 133 , Issue 6 , December 1978 , pp. 524 - 528
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1978 

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