Enhancing the Effectiveness of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Severe Depression
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2015-04-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most powerful antidepressant treatment available and
is often life-saving. There are concerns, however, that standard bitemporal ECT (the most
commonly used form of ECT worldwide) causes persisting retrograde amnesia. However, clinical
trials have indicated that high-dose unilateral ECT may be as effective as bitemporal ECT but
have much less cognitive side-effects.
The trial aims to test the primary experimental hypothesis: High-dose (6 x ST) right
unilateral ECT is as effective as (i.e. not inferior to) standard (1.5 x ST) bitemporal ECT
for severe depression in terms of Hamilton Depression Rating Score (HDRS) at the end of the
treatment course.