Maintenance Electroconvulsive Therapy in Severe Bipolar Disorder: A Retrospective Chart Review.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of continuation and maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (C/M-ECT) in patients with bipolar or schizoaffective disorder.

Methods: We reviewed the charts of all patients diagnosed with a bipolar or schizoaffective disorder treated with C/M-ECT from August 2009 until December 2013. We gathered demographic data and treatment variables (electrode placement, stimulus dose, and concomitant use of medication; number of C/M-ECT sessions; and number of new ECT courses).

Transcranial magnetic stimulation as a therapeutic tool in psychiatry.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a patient-friendly stimulation technique of the brain with interesting perspectives. In clinical psychiatry, limited data are available on activity in psychosis and anxiety, but much research has been done in depression. Major concerns on published papers are the inconsistency of used parameter settings, the restraint numbers of patients in randomised trials, the lack of real sham controlled studies and the quasi inexistent reproducibility of results.