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Efficacious retrial of electroconvulsive therapy for major depressive disorder after a prolonged seizure in an older adult
  1. Joseph Kramkowski and
  2. Swapnil Rath
  1. Department of Psychiatry, Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Joseph Kramkowski; joseph.kramkowski{at}pinerest.org

Abstract

This is a case of a woman in her 70s with treatment-resistant major depression who was admitted psychiatrically for the fifth time in 1.5 years. She had a history of intensive psychotherapy and psychotropic medication trials with poor efficacy. She also had a history of adverse complications to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) with prolonged seizures and postictal confusion during her third hospitalisation. At her fifth hospitalisation, due to poor response to routine psychiatric treatment, ECT was pursued. We discuss challenges in pursuing ECT and the outcome of the retrial of an acute ECT series, in the context of a paucity of similar literature regarding geriatric depression.

  • Psychiatry
  • Psychiatry of old age
  • Mood disorders (including depression)

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Footnotes

  • Contributors JK and SR contributed equally to this paper. JK is the submitting and corresponding author.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.