Today's "Classics in ECT" continues the subject from the post of 5/19/2020, ECT for schizophrenia.
It is from Schizophrenia Bulletin, 1996:

Convulsive therapy in schizophrenia?  Fink M, Sackeim HA.
Schizophr Bull. 1996;22(1):27-39. doi: 10.1093/schbul/22.1.27. PMID: 8685661The pdf is here.
Drs. Fink and Sackeim conclude:
"Before the advent of neuroleptic drugs, ECT was considered an effective treatment for dementia praecox. The main reason for discarding ECT was not its lack of efficacy, nor even the risks of its use, but the convenience, ease of administration, lower cost, and political and social acceptance of neuroleptic drugs. This review argues for the use of ECT early in the treatment of acutely psychotic patients, especially of first-break patients with excitement, overactivity, delusions, or florid delirium, and of young patients, to avoid the debilitating effects of chronic illness."

Please see also for a recent review of the use of ECT for schizophrenia:
When to consider electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
Kellner CH, Obbels J, Sienaert P.Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2020 Apr;141(4):304-315. doi: 10.1111/acps.13134. Epub 2019 Dec 23. PMID: 31774547The pdf is here.


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