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The Nottingham ECT Study

A Double-Blind Comparison of Bilateral, Unilateral and Simulated ECT in Depressive Illness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

S. Gregory ,
C. R. Shawcross  and
D. Gill
S. Gregory*
Affiliation:
Mapperley Hospital, Nottingham
C. R. Shawcross
Affiliation:
Knowle Hospital, Fareham, Hants
D. Gill
Affiliation:
Mapperley Hospital, Nottingham
*
∗Correspondence.
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Summary

Sixty nine patients took part in a double-blind study to investigate the efficacy of bilateral, unilateral, and simulated ECT in the treatment of depressive illness. The findings suggest that both bilateral and unilateral ECT are highly effective treatments for depression and are significantly superior to simulated ECT. There was also evidence that patients receiving bilateral ECT recovered more rapidly than those receiving unilateral ECT and required significantly fewer treatments. The relevance of these findings to clinical practice is discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 146 , Issue 5 , May 1985 , pp. 520 - 524
Copyright
Copyright © 1985 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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