Electroconvulsive therapy in a Hungarian academic centre (1999-2010).

Background: Since the 1930s, the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Semmelweis University (DPPSU) in Budapest has played a leading role in convulsive therapy in Hungary. The aim of this study was to describe the pattern of ECT use at the DPPSU over an 11-year period.

Subjects And Methods: Analysis of the medical notes of all patients treated with ECT in this academic centre between 1999 and 2009.

Results: During the study period, 28,230 patients were admitted to the DPPSU, of whom 457 (1.6%) received ECT. More than 50% of patients receiving ECT were diagnosed with schizophrenia. The percentage of female patients receiving ECT significantly exceeded that of the male patients, above what was expected in view of the diagnostic mix.

Conclusion: The data indicate that in the first decade of the 21(th) century, ECT use shows a declining tendency in this Hungarian academic centre. The mean number of treatment sessions was relatively low and nearly the same across diagnostic groups. ECT was mainly used as a last resort for treatment-resistant patients. In the majority of cases, bifronto-temporal brief pulse stimulation was applied. Seizures were monitored with EEG and EMG.