WHAT TYPES OF PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION SHOULD GET ECT TREATMENT?
ECT is usually used for people who do not respond to antidepressant medication or psychotherapy. It is also helpful for people who take medications for other illness that are not safe to take with antidepressants. It is best for patients experiencing a high severity of major depression. It is also a very good source for treatment when a quick response is needed. Antidepressants can take several weeks to begin to show effectiveness and even months to get to their full potential (http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/electroconvulsive-therapy). ECT is a very successful quick treatment when needed in situations such as patients who are a high suicidal threat. The process is not permanent, so medications would still need to continue (Fink, 2008). The directives of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) highly recommend ECT for geriatric depression. They, along with other authors, believe that it is the sole true therapy for delusional late-life depression (Fountoulakis et al., 2003), e
