Maintenance ECT in Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia

WORRAWAT CHANPATTANA, M.D.*

Affiliation : * Department of Psychiatry, Srinakharinwirot University,Vajira Hospital, Bangkok 10300, Thailand. t Supported by The Thailand Research Fund, Grant BRG 3980009.

AbstractAlthough electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been used to treat schizophrenia since its inception in 1938, its efficacy as long-term treatment is still controversial. A 2-Phase, prospective study has been conducted in 21 patients with schizophrenia. The duration of study was I year. Bilateral ECT combined with flupenthixol (18-24 mg/day) was used throughout. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), and Mini-Mental-State Exam (MMSE) were used to measure the outcome. No patients suffered relapses. There were marked reductions in BPRS scores (73 per cent and 70 per cent), and increases in GAF scores (68 per cent and 91 per cent), at the end of Phases I and II, respectively. This study suggests a long-tem1 efficacy of ECT combined with neuroleptic therapy in patients with schizophrenia.

Keywords : Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), Maintenance ECT, Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia, Prospective Study

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