What are the directions for future research?
What Is The Evidence That Ect Is Effective For Patients With Specific Mental Disorders? Published controlled studies of ECT permit evaluation of its short- term efficacy in severe major depressions (delusional and endogenous), in acute mania, and in certain schizophrenic syndromes. The available controlled clinical trials do not extend beyond the treatment of the acute episode (i.e., about 4 weeks). These studies are difficult to compare because they have used differing diagnostic systems and research designs. Further, they have measured outcome only in terms of symptom reduction, not the quality of life and social functioning. Depression Studies of ECT in depression have used various control conditions for comparison, including “sham” ECT (e.g., all of the elements of the ECT procedure except the electric stimulus), tricyclic antidepressants (TCA), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI), combinations of antidepressants and neuroleptics, and placebos. The efficacy of ECT has been establis
