BACKGROUND: There is a growing interest in gender differences of different psychiatric disorders, especially major depression. We sought a possible gender difference related to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). METHODS: This retrospective study compared 20 male and 23 female depressed adult patients treated by ECT. We compared their findings on gender differences to those of 12 female and 4 male bipolar patients and 11 male and 19 female schizophrenic patients, all treated in the same ECT setting. RESULTS: Depressed female patients underwent significantly fewer antidepressant drug trials than males before being referred to ECT (t41=2.09, P<0.05). A similar gender difference was found in the treatment of patients suffering from schizophrenia: female patients underwent fewer pharmacological antipsychotic trials than males before being referred to ECT (t28=3.11, P<0.01). ECT was significantly more effective in female patients than in male patients suffering from schizophrenia (U=38, P<0.05). LIMITATIONS: This is a retrospective pilot study whose results are based on subjective evaluations. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study may support a gender difference both in referral and in the outcome of ECT. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: there might be a need to consider lowering the number of pre-ECT drug trials for depressed males and to consider ECT as a viable therapeutic option for schizophrenic females.
BACKGROUND: There is a growing interest in gender differences of different psychiatric disorders, especially major depression. We sought a possible gender difference related to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). METHODS: This retrospective study compared 20 male and 23 female depressed adultpatients treated by ECT. We compared their findings on gender differences to those of 12 female and 4 male bipolarpatients and 11 male and 19 female schizophrenicpatients, all treated in the same ECT setting. RESULTS:Depressed female patients underwent significantly fewer antidepressant drug trials than males before being referred to ECT (t41=2.09, P<0.05). A similar gender difference was found in the treatment of patients suffering from schizophrenia: female patients underwent fewer pharmacological antipsychotic trials than males before being referred to ECT (t28=3.11, P<0.01). ECT was significantly more effective in female patients than in male patients suffering from schizophrenia (U=38, P<0.05). LIMITATIONS: This is a retrospective pilot study whose results are based on subjective evaluations. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study may support a gender difference both in referral and in the outcome of ECT. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: there might be a need to consider lowering the number of pre-ECT drug trials for depressed males and to consider ECT as a viable therapeutic option for schizophrenic females.
Authors: S Anttila; K Huuhka; M Huuhka; R Rontu; K M Mattila; E Leinonen; T Lehtimäki Journal: J Neural Transm (Vienna) Date: 2006-10-27 Impact factor: 3.575
Authors: James Luccarelli; Thomas H McCoy; Alec P Shannon; Brent P Forester; Stephen J Seiner; Michael E Henry Journal: Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci Date: 2020-11-16 Impact factor: 5.270