Open AccessElectroconvulsive therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic
Author(s) -
Jagadisha Thirthalli,
Sandeep Grover,
Preeti Sinha,
Swapnajeet Sahoo,
ShyamSundar Arumugham,
Sachin Pradeep Baliga,
Subho Chakrabarti
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
indian journal of psychiatry/indian journal of psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.485
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1998-3794
pISSN - 0019-5545
DOI - 10.4103/psychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_335_20
Subject(s) - electroconvulsive therapy , pandemic , covid-19 , transmission (telecommunications) , clinical practice , medicine , psychology , psychiatry , balance (ability) , virology , nursing , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , physical therapy , computer science , disease , telecommunications , outbreak , infectious disease (medical specialty)
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced substantial changes in the practice of psychiatry, including that of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). There is higher risk of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus during ECT unless due care is taken. However, in many cases, ECT cannot be avoided. In this paper, we discuss various measures that may be adapted to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus during ECT. We also suggest certain modifications to the practice of ECT in order to achieve a balance between risks and benefits of the procedure during the pandemic.