A retrospective controlled study into memory complaints reported by depressed patients after treatment with electroconvulsive therapy and pharmacotherapy or pharmacotherapy only.

Few studies have been conducted comparing complaints of memory problems using objective and subjective memory scales in depressed patients who received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) + pharmacotherapy or treatment with pharmacotherapy only. Patients who suffer from depression according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (Fourth Edition) criteria and who were admitted within the past 5 years before this study in a general psychiatric hospital were screened for inclusion. Objective retrograde amnesia was assessed using the Autobiographical Memory Interview and the Amsterdam Media Questionnaire (AMQ).