Author(s)

Popuri Krishna^1,2, Lakyntiew Aulakh^1,2, Declan Boylan^1,2, Louis Lakatos³

¹Department of Psychiatry, Health Sciences North, Sudbury, Canada.
²Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada.
³Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sudbury, Canada.

Objective: This study was conducted to discern the efficacy of maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (M-ECT) in a population of depressed elderly individuals with treatment-resistant depression. Methodology: Twenty-nine (N = 29) individuals over the age of 65 years of age and older were assigned to a control or treatment group on the basis of their decision to receive M-ECT (treatment group) or to refrain from receiving the treatment (control group). A battery of psychometric tests designed to measure severity of depression, quality of life, and cognition were administered at baseline as well as at 6-month and 1-year intervals. Results: Statistical analysis of the data indicated no significant differences in the efficacy of M-ECT between the control and treatment groups in any of the tests administered during the participation of the study. Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that there is no added benefit for patients administered M-ECT. However, study sample size and availability of alternative treatment regimens for the control group limit generalizability of these findings and warrant further investigation.

Maintenance Electroconvulsive Therapy (M-ECT), Depression, Elderly Population

Krishna, P. , Aulakh, L. , Boylan, D. and Lakatos, L. (2021) A Prospective Study of Maintenance Electroconvulsive Therapy in an Elderly Depressed Population. Open Journal of Psychiatry, 11, 63-70. doi: 10.4236/ojpsych.2021.112006.