Long-term naturalistic follow-up of patients with bipolar depression and mixed state treated with electroconvulsive therapy.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term outcome in a sample of patients with bipolar disorder with severe depression or mixed-state resistant to pharmacological treatment who have responded to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Method: The study involved 36 patients with major depression (5 patients with bipolar I depression, and 14 patients with bipolar II depression) or mixed state (17 patients) treated with bilateral ECT delivered using a brief pulse stimulator Mecta 5000 Q on a twice-a-week schedule. The patients were evaluated before ECT (baseline) and 1 week after the ECT course (final score) using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Mania Rating Scale, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, and Clinical Global Improvement.

A case of deep venous thrombosis following protracted catatonic immobility recovered with electroconvulsive therapy: the relevance for an early intervention.

Catatonic patients often experience prolonged inactivity and dehydration, thus being prone to venous stasis leading to life-threatening thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (PE). When this occurs, the prescription of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), actually irreplaceable in most life-threatening cases, remains controversial essentially due to an increased risk for PE and cerebral haemorrhage, with timing clinical decisions being as crucial as difficult to take. We report the case of a catatonic patient affected by malnutrition, deep venous thrombosis, severe pressure ulcers and septic syndrome resulting from previous untimely management, successfully treated with 16 well-tolerated ECT applications upon intensive supportive care.

Efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy in Fahr disease associated with bipolar psychotic disorder: a case report.

We report a case of a patient with Fahr disease affected by bipolar disorder type I with psychotic symptoms. The complex clinical picture, characterized by both neurological and psychiatric symptoms, proved to be partially or completely resistant to several pharmacological trials. On the contrary, a marked improvement of clinical picture occurred after a cycle of 10 sessions of electroconvulsive therapy, followed by a complete and sustained resolution of mood, cognitive, motor, and behavioral symptoms during the next 4 years.