Electroconvulsive Therapy in Adolescents

Electroconvulsive therapy in children and adolescents.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a recognized and effective treatment in adults for several psychiatric and neurological conditions in which the use of pharmacotherapy is ineffective, untimely or contraindicated. It has been used with success in mood and psychotic disorders, catatonia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, Parkinson's disease and intractable seizures. Its benefits have been recogni...

Electroconvulsive therapy use in adolescents: a systematic review

BACKGROUND Considered as a moment of psychological vulnerability, adolescence is remarkably a risky period for the development of psychopathologies, when the choice of the correct therapeutic approach is crucial for achieving remission. One of the researched therapies in this case is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The present study reviews the recent and classical aspects regarding ECT use in...

Practice parameter for use of electroconvulsive therapy with adolescents.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may be an effective treatment for adolescents with severe mood disorders and other Axis I psychiatric disorders when more conservative treatments have been unsuccessful. ECT may be considered when there is a lack of response to two or more trials of pharmacotherapy or when the severity of symptoms precludes waiting for a response to pharmacological treatment. The...

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Atropine Premedication in Electroconvulsive Therapy

Atropine has been used in ECT to eliminate parasympathetically mediated dysrhythmias. However, it may increase heart rate and myocardial workload. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of atropine premedication on the heart rate and blood pressure. Study was performed in 80 patients referred for a course of ECT. They enrolled randomly in one of the two equal groups to receive atro...