Is ECT safe for elderly?
Is ECT safe for elderly?
A large body of literature indicates that ECT is an effective and safe treatment option for elderly patients with major depression, even in very old-old age (>85 years). Efficacy of ECT is markedly greater in older patients as compared with younger patients [16,61–63].
Can ECT make you more depressed?
ECT may flood the brain with neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which are known to be involved in conditions like depression and schizophrenia.
What percentage of depression patients improve after ECT treatment?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is effective for patients with depressive disorders, but not all patients benefit. While clinical trials show that the remission rate is often 50% or more after ECT [1], [2], a large-scale population-based study in a community setting reported somewhat lower remission rates [3].
When would ECT be used for depression?
Clinical evidence indicates that for individuals with uncomplicated, but severe major depression, ECT will produce substantial improvement in approximately 80 percent of patients. It is also used for other severe mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
What happens if ECT doesn’t work for depression?
If nothing else has helped, including ECT, and you are still severely depressed, you may be offered neurosurgery for mental disorder (NMD), deep brain stimulation (DBS) or vagus nerve stimulation (VNS).
Can ECT cause dementia?
Although ECT can cause transient memory problems, the new findings show that the treatment “does not cause dementia,” author Martin Balslev Jørgensen, DMSc, professor of clinical psychiatry, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, told Medscape Medical News.
What is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for the elderly?
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: Electroconvulsive therapy, also called ECT, is a type of shock therapy that may be used in the elderly. An elderly person may be defined as someone who is 60 years of age or older. ECT in the elderly is mainly used to treat depression (a very deep sadness).
When isect used to treat depression in the elderly?
ECT is often the treatment of choice in the elderly patient whose depression presents with life-threatening symptoms or behavior, such as suicidality or refusal to eat, or in patients with catatonia or psychosis. In these situations, waiting for one or more medication trials can be unwise.
Can ECT cause memory loss in the elderly?
Having ECT may cause memory loss and confusion (trouble thinking clearly) in the elderly. Your confusion may go away in time, such as one hour or more after your treatment. You may lose your memory for 1 to 3 weeks, and some memories may be lost forever.
Does ECT work in the old-old?
In addition, a prospective study by Tew et al. (1999) came to the same conclusion. They found the old-old, even with greater physical illness and cognitive impairment, tolerated ECT as well as younger adults and responded as well or better. The indications for ECT in the old-old are the same as in younger adults.
