Standard procedure	May be provided in an inpatient or outpatient setting, though is usually started on an inpatient basis for older adult patients. Administered either unilaterally or bilaterally, up to three times per week. While frequency and number of treatments are determined by severity of illness, response, and tolerability, most patients will complete greater than ten treatments as part of an acute-phase ECT trial.
Contraindications	While there are no “absolute” contraindications to the use of ECT in older adults, the greatest risk appears to exist for patients who have had a stroke, especially in the past 6 months.
Complications	Nausea, headache, muscle aches, and risks associated with general anesthesia.
Cost-effectiveness	While expensive, studies have suggested that ECT may result in shorter overall inpatient psychiatric hospital stays for severely depressed elderly patients [51].