ECT in the elderly with catatonic schizophrenic disorder-A case report

Abstract

Case history:a 69 year old man with drug resistant catatonic schizophrenic disorder was treated at the psychiatric clinic of a general hospital with courses of ECT. In the past he had also responded positively to the same treatment.Course of the treatment: patient was admitted because of catatonic symptoms such as immobility, mutism and negativism. During his two hospitalizations, a total of 48 ECT sessions was given with encouraging results. Namely after the first hospitalization the patient left the hospital in excellent condition, where as in the second occasion results were fair.Treatment:ECT is one of the first somatic therapies in the history of psychiatry. In 1938 Cerletti and Bini administered the first successful treatment of schizophrenia inducing epileptic seizures via electricity. Today ECT is given under general anaesthesia including muscles relaxation, in organized hospital units and thus it is a safe and well tolerated therapy.Conclusion:our case report confirms the fact that in elderly ECT seems to have good results and few side effects.