Out on PubMed today is a reprint of a review article that originally appeared in Psychiatric Clinics in 2018:

 Electroconvulsive Therapy in Geriatric Psychiatry: A Selective Review
Justin P Meyer 1, Samantha K Swetter 2, Charles H Kellner 3
Clin Geriatr Med, 36 (2), 265-279  PMID: 32222301

The pdf is here.

 Thanks to my colleagues Justin and Samantha for their excellent work in compiling and interpreting the literature on ECT in geriatric psychiatry.

 Key Points from the article are:


  • • 
    Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a safe and effective treatment of geriatric patients with severe depressive illness, mania, schizophrenia, catatonia and some other neuropsychiatric conditions. 
  • • 
    The cognitive effects of ECT are largely transient, even in elderly patients with premorbid impairment. 
  • • 
    ECT does not worsen the course of dementia, and is indicated for comorbid depression and agitation in dementia. 
  • • 
    Medical comorbidities in the older adult population may increase risk and must be considered before ECT, but do not preclude its use.

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