Prediction of response to electroconvulsive therapy. Preliminary validation of a sign-based typology of depression.

In an open study of 35 depressed patients, psychomotor disturbance, assessed by the CORE rating system, significantly predicted response to ECT in patients with a 'retarded' but not those with an 'agitated' type of illness. In multivariate analyses, psychomotor disturbance was the sole predictor of response. This preliminary study suggests that the CORE system, which has been shown to differentiate endogenous and non-endogenous depressive disorders, has predictive validity in relation to ECT response.