Table 2.
Baseline Characteristics of Patients Receiving First Course of Electroconvulsive Therapy
| Characteristic | Nonpsychotic depression (N = 427)a | Psychotic depression (N = 115)a | P valueb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic | |||
| Age, y | 48 (17) | 54 (17) | <.001 |
| Female | 277 (65%) | 75 (65%) | >.9 |
| Clinical | |||
| Starting electrode position | .017 | ||
| BL | 76 (18%) | 32 (28%) | |
| RUL | 351 (82%) | 83 (72%) | |
| Admission status | <.001 | ||
| Informal | 3 (0.7%) | 3 (2.6%) | |
| Involuntary | 46 (11%) | 44 (38%) | |
| Voluntary | 378 (89%) | 68 (59%) | |
| Capacity to consent to ECT | <.001 | ||
| Capable | 409 (96%) | 79 (69%) | |
| Incapable | 18 (4.2%) | 36 (31%) | |
| Catatonic symptoms | 4 (0.9%) | 8 (7.0%) | <.001 |
| Baseline CGI Severity | <.001 | ||
| 1 | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | |
| 2 | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | |
| 3 | 2 (0.5%) | 0 (0%) | |
| 4 | 56 (13%) | 7 (6.1%) | |
| 5 | 184 (43%) | 36 (31%) | |
| 6 | 178 (42%) | 62 (54%) | |
| 7 | 7 (1.6%) | 10 (8.7%) | |
| Medications | |||
| Antidepressant | 282 (66%) | 71 (62%) | .4 |
| Antipsychotic | 197 (46%) | 69 (60%) | .008 |
| Benzodiazepine use | 113 (26%) | 32 (28%) | .8 |
| Anticonvulsant use | 4 (0.9%) | 0 (0%) | .6 |
| ECT indications | |||
| Failure of pharmacotherapy | 344 (81%) | 89 (77%) | .5 |
| Suicidality | 134 (31%) | 37 (32%) | .9 |
| Prior response to ECT | 58 (14%) | 20 (17%) | .3 |
| Patient preference for ECT | 68 (16%) | 10 (8.7%) | .050 |
| Noncompliance with pharmacotherapy | 4 (0.9%) | 8 (7.0%) | <.001 |
| Intolerance of pharmacotherapy | 26 (6.1%) | 11 (9.6%) | .2 |
| Violent behavior | 3 (0.7%) | 1 (0.9%) | >.9 |
a
Mean (SD) or n (%).
b
Welch 2-sample t test; Pearson χ2 test; Fisher exact test.
Abbreviations: BL = bitemporal, CGI = Clinical Global Impression, ECT = electroconvulsive therapy, RUL = right unilateral.