What do psychiatrists mean by medication resistance as an indication for electroconvulsive therapy?

Objectives: Resistance to antidepressant medication is the commonest stated indication for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) by psychiatrists, but what this means in practice has not been described. Our aims were to survey what antidepressant drug treatment had been prescribed to patients before they underwent ECT and to what extent this treatment would satisfy operational criteria for adequate antidepressant drug treatment used in ECT research.

Methods: The survey was conducted prospectively among 37 depressed patients referred for a new course of bilateral ECT and where antidepressant medication resistant was identified as the indication for ECT.

Electroconvulsive therapy in depressive illness that has not responded to drug treatment.

Background: Antidepressant medication resistance is the commonest indication for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in Scotland. Evidence from the USA suggests that clinical response is reduced for medication resistant patients. The aim of the present study was to establish if the American results were generalisable to routine clinical practice in Edinburgh.

Atmospheric Photochemical Reactions Inhibited by Iodine.

The inhibition by iodine of the atmosphere photochemical reaction of olefin with nitrogen dioxide has been confirmed. The presence of iodine in concentrations comparable to those of the reactants retards the formation of aldehyde, peroxyacetyl nitrate, and aerosol as well as the disappearance of olefin. The reaction of iodine with atomic oxygen may account for this inhibition.