The Effects of Continuation-Maintenance Electroconvulsive Therapy on Reducing Hospital Re-Admissions in Patients with Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia.
Objective
Continuation-maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (C/M-ECT) is used to prevent relapse or recurrence in patients with severe mental illnesses. We aimed to investigate the effect of C/M-ECT on reducing hospital re-admissions in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia.


Methods
We applied a mirror-image design by retrospectively examining re-hospitalization rates of 18 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. We compared the numbers of psychiatric admissions during the actual period over which C/M-ECT was administered with the same period prior to the beginning of C/M-ECT.


Results
The number of psychiatric admissions was reduced significantly during C/M-ECT (0.33±0.77) compared with that of the same period prior to C/M-ECT (2.67±1.33) (Wilcoxon signed rank Z=-3.663; p＜0.001).


Conclusion
This finding shows that C/M-ECT augmentation could successfully reduce the re-hospitalization rates in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
['Choi|Kyung Mook|KM|', 'Choi|Soo-Hee|SH|', 'Hong|Jung Kyung|JK|', 'Lee|Mi Hyun|MH|', 'Jung|Joon Hyung|JH|', 'Oh|Sang Hoon|SH|', 'Jung|Dong Chung|DC|', 'Kim|Sung Nyun|SN|']
Electroconvulsive therapy Treatment-resistance Schizophrenia Recurrence Hospitalization.