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The Onset and Rate of the Antidepressant Effect of Electroconvulsive Therapy

A Neglected Topic of Research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Allan I. F. Scott  and
Lawrence J. Whalley
Allan I. F. Scott*
Affiliation:
Andrew Duncan Clinic, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Terrace, Edinburgh EH10 5HF
Lawrence J. Whalley
Affiliation:
University Department of Mental Health, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB9 2ZD
*
∗Correspondence
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Extract

This annotation is concerned with how soon and at what rate antidepressant effects become apparent over a course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The first question is of importance in the design and interpretation of biological studies of the mode of action of ECT. The second question is of practical interest to the treating psychiatrist when we ask how the speed of recovery is influenced by what the psychiatrist prescribes, that is, the number and frequency of treatments. These questions are little better answered now than 20 years ago. This may come as a surprise to many readers, who have been advised to use ECT when “seeking rapid improvement” in depressive disorders (ECT Sub-Committee of the Research Committee of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1989). This lack of progress is attributable to a dearth of appropriately designed ECT studies.

Type
Annotation
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 162 , Issue 6 , June 1993 , pp. 725 - 732
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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