Can the Addition of Maintenance Electroconvulsive Therapy to Pharmacotherapy Improve Relapse Prevention in Severe Major Depressive Disorder? A Randomized Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT: Few systematic evaluations have been performed of the efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a relapse prevention strategy in major depressive disorder (MDD). This is a single-blind, multicenter, randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy and tolerability of pharmacotherapy plus maintenance ECT (M-Pharm/ECT) versus pharmacotherapy alone (M-Pharm) in the prevention of MDD relapse. Subjects with MDD who had remitted with bilateral acute ECT (n = 37) were randomly assigned to receive M-Pharm/ECT (n = 19, 14 treatments) or M-Pharm (n = 18) for nine months. The subjects were followed up for 15 months. The main outcome was relapse of depression, defined as a score of 18 or more on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. At nine months, 35% of the subjects treated with M-Pharm/ECT

SUBMITTER: Martinez-Amoros E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8534103 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature