Resolution of severe suicidality with a single electroconvulsive therapy. uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Electroconvulsive therapy is a rapid and effective treatment of severe depression that has been shown to quickly decrease or eliminate suicidal thoughts and behaviors. We describe the case of an 88-year-old man hospitalized for a carefully premeditated suicide attempt with highly lethal means. He was treated with a single electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and improved markedly. His suicidal ideation remitted, and the patient was still free of suicidal ideation at 5 months of follow-up. We discuss the effect of ECT on suicidal ideation, the benefit of minimizing the number of total ECT treatments, and the possible biological markers of change after a single treatment in an ECT-naive patient.

publication date

  • March 1, 2011

Research

keywords

  • Depression
  • Electroconvulsive Therapy
  • Suicide, Attempted

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 79952195778

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1097/YCT.0b013e3181da842a

PubMed ID

  • 21343715

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 27

issue

  • 1