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Shared preventive factors associated with relapse after a response to electroconvulsive therapy in four major psychiatric disorders
Author(s) -
Omori Wataru,
Itagaki Kei,
Kajitani Naoto,
Abe Hiromi,
OkadaTsuchioka Mami,
Okamoto Yasumasa,
Takebayashi Minoru
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1111/pcn.12859
Subject(s) - electroconvulsive therapy , psychiatry , schizoaffective disorder , depression (economics) , mood disorders , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , bipolar disorder , mood , psychology , medicine , lithium (medication) , relapse prevention , clinical psychology , psychosis , anxiety , economics , macroeconomics
Aim The efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been established in psychiatric disorders but the high rate of relapse is a critical problem. The current study sought preventative factors associated with relapse after a response to ECT in a continuum of four major psychiatric disorders. Methods The records of 255 patients with four psychiatric disorders (83 unipolar depression, 60 bipolar depression, 91 schizophrenia, 21 schizoaffective disorder) were retrospectively reviewed. Results The relapse‐free rate of all patients at 1 year was 56.3% in the four psychiatric disorders without a difference. As a result of univariate analysis, three items could be considered as preventative factors associated with relapse: a small number of psychiatric symptom episodes before an acute course of ECT, the use of mood stabilizers, and the use of maintenance ECT. Multivariate analysis was performed, keeping age, sex, and diagnosis constant in addition to the three items, and small number of psychiatric symptom episodes before an acute course of ECT ( P = 0.003), the use of lithium ( P = 0.025), the use of valproate ( P = 0.027), and the use of maintenance ECT ( P = 0.001) were found to be significant preventative measures against relapse. Conclusion The use of mood stabilizers, such as lithium and valproate, and maintenance ECT could be shared preventive factors associated with relapse after a response to ECT in four major psychiatric disorders.