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Long-term effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy in adolescents with schizophrenia spectrum disorders

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Abstract

To compare a sample of adolescents with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) treated with either ECT or antipsychotics (AP) alone at long-term follow-up. Patients diagnosed with SSD (n = 21) treated with ECT due to resistance to AP or catatonia under the age of 18 years (ECT group), were compared to a randomly selected group of patients with SSD treated only with AP (non-ECT group) (n = 21) and matched for age, gender, diagnosis and duration of illness. Baseline data were gathered retrospectively from medical records. Subjects were assessed at follow-up (mean of follow-up period = 5.5 years; range 2–9 years) using several clinical scales such as the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). Improvement in PANSS positive, negative, general, total and CGI and GAF scores between baseline and follow-up assessment did not differ significantly between groups. At follow-up, no differences were observed for the PANSS negative, CGI and GAF scores between groups, but patients in the ECT group still had higher PANSS total, positive and general scores. ECT treatment followed by AP medication in treatment-resistant SSD or catatonia is at least as effective in the long term as AP alone in non-resistant patients.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank all the patients and their families for participating. This study is supported in part by the Government of Catalonia, Comissionat per Universitats I Recerca del Departament d’Innovació, Universitats I Empresa (DIUE) 2009SGR111.

Conflict of interest

Itziar Flamarique, Elena de la Serna, Alexandre Pons and Inmaculada Baeza affirm that they have no conflicts of interest. Prof. M. Bernardo received consulting fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb-Otsuka, Wyeth, Janssen-Cilag. Dr. J. Castro has had the following relationships which may represent a conflict of interest: consultant for Eli Lilly and Pfizer and travel support by Eli Lilly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, SGR1119, Institut Clinic de Neurociències, Hospital Clínic Universitari de Barcelona, C/Villarroel, 170, 08036, Barcelona, Spain

    Itziar Flamarique, Inmaculada Baeza, Elena de la Serna & Josefina Castro-Fornieles

  2. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain

    Itziar Flamarique, Inmaculada Baeza, Elena de la Serna, Alexandre Pons, Miguel Bernardo & Josefina Castro-Fornieles

  3. Institut ďInvestigació Biomèdica August Pi i Sunyer, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain

    Inmaculada Baeza, Miguel Bernardo & Josefina Castro-Fornieles

  4. Unitat de Esquizofrènia Clínic, Department of Psychiatry, Institut Clínic de Neurociències, Hospital Clínic Universitari, Barcelona, Spain

    Inmaculada Baeza, Alexandre Pons & Miguel Bernardo

  5. Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Miguel Bernardo & Josefina Castro-Fornieles

Authors
  1. Itziar Flamarique
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  2. Inmaculada Baeza
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  3. Elena de la Serna
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  4. Alexandre Pons
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  5. Miguel Bernardo
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  6. Josefina Castro-Fornieles
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Itziar Flamarique.

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Flamarique, I., Baeza, I., de la Serna, E. et al. Long-term effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy in adolescents with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 24, 517–524 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0602-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0602-3

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