Psychiatric Bulletin (2009) 33: 95-98. doi: 10.1192/pb.bp.107.018853
© 2009 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Unilateral and bilateral electroconvulsive therapy: what informs Scottish psychiatrists’ choices?

Kevin A. Brown, Specialist Registrar in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

CAMHS Tipperlinn (YPU), Royal Edinburgh Hospital Site, Edinburgh EH10 5HF, email: kevin.brown{at}nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

Declaration of interest

None.

AIMS AND METHOD

A postal questionnaire was sent to Scottish consultant psychiatrists asking about their attitudes towards unilateral and bilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and the difference in effectiveness between the two ECT types that they considered clinically significant.

RESULTS

The response rate was 61%. Of those that responded, 62% were prescribers of ECT and most (79%) favoured bilateral ECT over unilateral ECT. The outcome that they were most concerned with was remission rate: 97% believe that an absolute difference of more than 5% in remission rate would make the difference in effectiveness between the two types of ECT clinically important.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Future investigators should focus on comparative remission rates of bilateral and unilateral ECT.




eLetters:

Read all eLetters

Unilateral ECT deserves a fair trial
Vimal Sivasanker
PB Online, 11 Mar 2009 [Full text]
ECT: There is more than just Unilateral or Bilateral selection!
Dr Mukesh Kripalani, et al.
PB Online, 1 Apr 2009 [Full text]