ECT patients for mental disorders in PGI dropped to 1/3rd during pandemic: Study

CHANDIGARH: PGI registered a reduction in the number of patients who received electroconvulsion therapy (ECT) during the Covid pandemic. The number of such patients reduced from 312 to 90 --almost one third-From March 2020 to March 2021 in PGI.

These patients are receiving ECT in OPDs for depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. These findings have been published as a study in “The Journal of ECT” by a team of researchers from the departments of psychiatry and Anaesthesia and Critical Care, PGIMER.

Psychiatrists consider the ECT safe for patients who have severe forms of mental illness and do not respond to medicines. The study suggested that ECT should be given with precaution and those centres which have closed this therapy must resume it as out of the 90 patients who received the therapy during the pandemic, only four tested positive.

“ECT is the most effective treatment for psychiatric diseases and has never been controversial. With the current level of procedures followed, it is a very safe treatment. As a side effect, there is some amount of forgetfulness lasting for a short duration which improves after sometime,” said Prof Sandeep Grover, department of psychiatry and one of the authors of the study.

He added, “It is recommended as a lifesaving procedure for those with suicidal tendencies and who stop eating.”

As of now, PGI is getting closer to the pre-pandemic patient count. In most cases, the treatment was given to patients who were hospitalised during the pandemic.

What is ECT?

ECT is a therapeutic procedure in which a doctor induces a medically-controlled seizure using electrical currents in a patient who is put under general anaesthesia. It is also approved by the FDA.

There have been movies and a lot of misconceptions associated with this treatment where it is shown that there is brain damage and the patient is tortured. “This is a misnomer. For patients who do not respond to medicines, this therapy has been most beneficial,” said Prof Grover.