Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who receive multiple electroconvulsive therapy sessions: characteristics, indications, and results

Iulian Iancu,* Nimrod Pick,* Orit Seener-Lorsh, Pinhas Dannon Be’er Ya’akov Mental Health Center, affiliated with the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel *These authors share first authorship of this paper Background: While electroconvulsive ther...

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Autores principales: Iancu I, Pick N, Seener-Lorsh O, Dannon P
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Publicado: Dove Medical Press 2015
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:4940d5542d0546229a51b6f685b5d5e22021-12-02T09:04:10ZPatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who receive multiple electroconvulsive therapy sessions: characteristics, indications, and results1178-2021https://doaj.org/article/4940d5542d0546229a51b6f685b5d5e22015-03-01T00:00:00Zhttp://www.dovepress.com/patients-with-schizophrenia-or-schizoaffective-disorder-who-receive-mu-peer-reviewed-article-NDThttps://doaj.org/toc/1178-2021 Iulian Iancu,* Nimrod Pick,* Orit Seener-Lorsh, Pinhas Dannon Be’er Ya’akov Mental Health Center, affiliated with the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel *These authors share first authorship of this paper Background: While electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been used for many years, there is insufficient research regarding the indications for continuation/maintenance (C/M)-ECT, its safety and efficacy, and the characteristics of patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who receive multiple ECT sessions. The aims of this study were to characterize a series of patients who received 30 ECT sessions or more, to describe treatment regimens in actual practice, and to examine the results of C/M-ECT in terms of safety and efficacy, especially the effect on aggression and functioning.Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of 20 consecutive patients (mean age 64.6 years) with schizophrenia (n=16) or schizoaffective disorder (n=4) who received at least 30 ECT sessions at our ECT unit, and also interviewed the treating physician and filled out the Clinical Global Impression-Severity, Global Assessment of Functioning, and the Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised.Results: Patients received a mean of 91.3 ECT sessions at a mean interval of 2.6 weeks. All had been hospitalized for most or all of the previous 3 years. There were no major adverse effects, and cognitive side effects were relatively minimal (cognitive deficit present for several hours after treatment). We found that ECT significantly reduced scores on the Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised subscales for verbal aggression and self-harm, and improved Global Assessment of Functioning scores. There were reductions in total aggression scores, subscale scores for harm to objects and to others, and Clinical Global Impression-Severity scores, these were not statistically significant.Conclusion: C/M-ECT is safe and effective for chronically hospitalized patients. It improves general functioning and reduces verbal aggression and self-harm. More research using other aggression tools is needed to determine its effects and to reproduce our findings in prospective and controlled studies. Keywords: electroconvulsive therapy, schizophrenia, maintenance, multiple sessions Iancu IPick NSeener-Lorsh ODannon PDove Medical PressarticleNeurosciences. Biological psychiatry. NeuropsychiatryRC321-571Neurology. Diseases of the nervous systemRC346-429ENNeuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, Vol 2015, Iss default, Pp 853-862 (2015)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
RC321-571
Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system
RC346-429
spellingShingle Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
RC321-571
Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system
RC346-429
Iancu I
Pick N
Seener-Lorsh O
Dannon P
Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who receive multiple electroconvulsive therapy sessions: characteristics, indications, and results
description Iulian Iancu,* Nimrod Pick,* Orit Seener-Lorsh, Pinhas Dannon Be’er Ya’akov Mental Health Center, affiliated with the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel *These authors share first authorship of this paper Background: While electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been used for many years, there is insufficient research regarding the indications for continuation/maintenance (C/M)-ECT, its safety and efficacy, and the characteristics of patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who receive multiple ECT sessions. The aims of this study were to characterize a series of patients who received 30 ECT sessions or more, to describe treatment regimens in actual practice, and to examine the results of C/M-ECT in terms of safety and efficacy, especially the effect on aggression and functioning.Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of 20 consecutive patients (mean age 64.6 years) with schizophrenia (n=16) or schizoaffective disorder (n=4) who received at least 30 ECT sessions at our ECT unit, and also interviewed the treating physician and filled out the Clinical Global Impression-Severity, Global Assessment of Functioning, and the Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised.Results: Patients received a mean of 91.3 ECT sessions at a mean interval of 2.6 weeks. All had been hospitalized for most or all of the previous 3 years. There were no major adverse effects, and cognitive side effects were relatively minimal (cognitive deficit present for several hours after treatment). We found that ECT significantly reduced scores on the Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised subscales for verbal aggression and self-harm, and improved Global Assessment of Functioning scores. There were reductions in total aggression scores, subscale scores for harm to objects and to others, and Clinical Global Impression-Severity scores, these were not statistically significant.Conclusion: C/M-ECT is safe and effective for chronically hospitalized patients. It improves general functioning and reduces verbal aggression and self-harm. More research using other aggression tools is needed to determine its effects and to reproduce our findings in prospective and controlled studies. Keywords: electroconvulsive therapy, schizophrenia, maintenance, multiple sessions 
format article
author Iancu I
Pick N
Seener-Lorsh O
Dannon P
author_facet Iancu I
Pick N
Seener-Lorsh O
Dannon P
author_sort Iancu I
title Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who receive multiple electroconvulsive therapy sessions: characteristics, indications, and results
title_short Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who receive multiple electroconvulsive therapy sessions: characteristics, indications, and results
title_full Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who receive multiple electroconvulsive therapy sessions: characteristics, indications, and results
title_fullStr Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who receive multiple electroconvulsive therapy sessions: characteristics, indications, and results
title_full_unstemmed Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who receive multiple electroconvulsive therapy sessions: characteristics, indications, and results
title_sort patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who receive multiple electroconvulsive therapy sessions: characteristics, indications, and results
publisher Dove Medical Press
publishDate 2015
url https://doaj.org/article/4940d5542d0546229a51b6f685b5d5e2
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