Continuation ECT in Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia

The maintenance of modified electroconvulsive therapy combined with risperidone is better than risperidone alone in preventing relapse of schizophrenia and improving cognitive function

“…Moreover, based on the preliminary results, maintenance ECT combined with medication might be an effective alternative to pharmacological treatment alone in schizophrenia, which is in line with a previous controlled study by Chanpattana et al 19 , who indicated that the combination of maintenance ECT and flupenthixol was superior to flupenthixol or maintenance ECT alone. This alternative therapy is crucial in this field, because of the important public health problems raised.…”

“…Chanpattana and coworkers have indicated that compared with maintenance ECT alone or flupentixol alone, the combination of maintenance ECT and flupentixol is more effective in preventing the relapse of schizophrenia 19 . Moreover, a former case report provided by Kitamura et al 20 demonstrated that a 71-yearold female patient with schizophrenia achieved a complete remission when she was maintained for six years on maintenance ECT without antipsychotic medication.…”

Evidências da eficácia da eletroconvulsoterapia na prática psiquiátrica

“…According to these studies and specialist's recommendations, 18 ECT is indicated in cases of: -Major depression (single or recurrent episode); [3][4][5][6][7][18][19][20][21][22][23] -Affective bipolar disorder (depressive, manic or mixed episodes); 18,[22][23] -Mild-schizophrenia (specially when the affective or catatonic symptomatology is prominent); 18,[24][25][26] -Schizoaffective disorder; 18,[24][25][26] -Schizophreniform disorder. 18,[24][25][26] 4 Some clinical diseases as the neuroleptic malignant syndrome, 27,28 Parkinson's disease, [29][30][31] epilepsy [32][33][34] and tardive dyskinesia, 13,35,36 have also been successfully managed with ECT. The use of the technique in those conditions, however, is still not firmly established, once there is a lack of evidence to support indication in those cases.…”

“…25,26,80,81 The major objective of such studies was to assess the efficacy of ECT in the referred nosologies.…”

“…Only some brief studies have already suggested that the ECT as a maintenance therapy reduces the rates of relapse and recurrence in mood disorders. [104][105][106] The randomized controlled study by Chanpattana et al 25 showed that the combined continuation ECT was more effective in the prevention of relapse than the continued treatment with ECT or with neuroleptics in patients with treatment-refractory schizophrenia and responsive to an ECT cycle combined to neuroleptic medication.…”