The use of electroconvulsive therapy in old age psychiatry

AbstractAll patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) under the care of the Old Age Psychiatry service at the University Hospital of South Manchester between 1976 and 1982 were studied. Data on 193 courses were collected. Eighty per cent of patients were well or considerably improved at discharge. When relapses occurred they usually responded well to antidepressant treatment and did not indicate a poor outcome in the long term. The results confirm that ECT is a safe and effective treatment for elderly patients with severe depressive illnesses, despite the fact that many of them suffer from concurrent physical problems and that some have evidence of intellectual impairment.