Am J Psychiatry 1984; 141:49-52
Copyright © 1984 by American Psychiatric Association
Cognitive functioning in depressed geriatric patients with a history of ECT
HM Pettinati and KM Bonner
Cognitive functioning in depressed geriatric patients, some with a history
of ECT, was assessed with the Trail Making B test. Depressed patients over
the age of 65 who had had at least one prior series of ECT performed more
poorly on the test than did older patients with no history of ECT and
younger depressed patients regardless of their ECT history. The groups did
not differ in severity of depression. Careful assessment of elderly
patients' history of ECT will allow for more informed decisions about the
current use of ECT and an understanding of the cognitive status of these
patients.
