New American recommendations on the practice of electroconvulsive therapy

Abstract

Background: In 1990, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) developed comprehensive practice recommendations on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), covering indications, assessment and management of risk factors, consent, treatment procedures, logistical factors, documentation, outcome evaluation, and post-ECT management, as well as training and both initial and ongoing determination of clinical competency. Over the ensuing decade, there have been considerable advances in the practice of ECT and related areas. For this reason, the APA Committee on ECT (composed of R. Weiner (chair), C. E. Coffey, L. Fochtmann, R. Greenberg, K. Isenberg, C. Kellner, L. Moench, and H. Sackeim) was tasked with the work of revising these recommendations. The product, which included opportunity for input by a wide variety of other sources, including individual experts and professional groups in a number of relevant fields, U.S. regulatory bodies, and major U.S. mental health consumer organizations, is being published by APA i...