Right unilateral electroconvulsive therapy does not cause more cognitive impairment than pharmacologic treatment in treatment-resistant bipolar depression: A 6-month randomized controlled trial follow-up study.

Objectives: Electroconvulsive therapy is an effective treatment for bipolar depression, but there are concerns about whether it causes long-term neurocognitive impairment.

Methods: In this multicenter randomized controlled trial, in-patients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression were randomized to either algorithm-based pharmacologic treatment or right unilateral electroconvulsive therapy. After the 6-week treatment period, all of the patients received maintenance pharmacotherapy as recommended by their clinician guided by a relevant treatment algorithm.