Classics in ECT-Charles Rich's 1984 LTE on Recovery After a Single ECT


This letter is interesting from two points of view: the phenomenon of relief of depression with a single ECT and the correlation with dexamethasone suppression test results. In the intervening years, additional similar case reports have been published and various physiological changes after a single ECT have been reported. It seems unlikely that this is a placebo effect, and Dr. Rich's suggestion of a subgroup of  patients who are "exquisitely sensitive" to ECT seems likely to be true.


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