Abstract
BackgroundElectroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder. However, few studies have addressed the use of ECT in adolescents with schizophrenia. The aims of our study were to investigate the frequency of ECT, and its relationship with clinical and demographic correlates among adolescents with schizophrenia in China.MethodsThe study was a retrospective study and conducted in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department of Beijing Anding Hospital, and adolescents with schizophrenia over a period of 10 years (2007–2016) were enrolled. The demographic and clinical data were collected from the electronic chart management system.ResultsA total of 835 patients were included, 411/835 (49.2%) of the adolescent inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia were in ECT group. There were significant differences in the sex, age, high risk for aggression and suicide, family history of psychiatric disorders and concomitant psychotropic medication (antidepressants and benzodiazepines) between the ECT and non-ECT groups. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that ECT use was independently and positively associated with sex, high risk for suicide.ConclusionsIn a major psychiatric center in China, the use of ECT was common, and reasons for the high use of ECT for adolescent patients in this hospital should warrant urgent investigations.
Highlights
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder
Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that ECT use was independently and positively associated with sex, high risk for suicide (Table 2)
In this study, we found that 49.2% of adolescent with schizophrenia were prescribed ECT in a tertiary psychiatric hospital in Beijing
Summary
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder. Few studies have addressed the use of ECT in adolescents with schizophrenia. The aims of our study were to investigate the frequency of ECT, and its relationship with clinical and demographic correlates among adolescents with schizophrenia in China. The introduction of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for the treatment of serious mental disorders such as schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder, was one of the most impacting revolutions of psychiatry [1, 2]. The frequency of ECT use varies across countries and regions. ECT use in psychiatric inpatients ranged from 0.01% in Thailand to 1.8% in Hong Kong and 13.4% in India [3,4,5]. ECT use is influenced by a host of legal, social and cultural factors [7,8,9,10,11].
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