Skip to main content

ECT-Induced Seizure Length Tied to Major Depressive Disorder Remission

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on July 29, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, July 29, 2024 -- For patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), seizure duration of 60 to 69 seconds induced by electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is associated with the highest remission rates compared with seizure duration of less than 20 seconds, according to a study published online July 25 in JAMA Network Open.

Cecilia Gillving, from the University Health Care Research Centre at Örebro University in Sweden, and colleagues conducted a population-based cohort study using data from the Swedish National Quality Register for ECT to examine the association between seizure duration, potential confounding variables, and ECT treatment outcome. A total of 6,998 patients with unipolar MDD treated with unilateral electrode placement were included. The analysis used electroencephalographic (EEG) seizure duration from the first ECT treatment session for each patient.

The researchers found that 39.3 percent of patients achieved remission after ECT. The highest remission rates were seen for patients with EEG seizure duration of 60 to 69 seconds compared with those with seizure duration of less than 20 seconds (odds ratio, 2.17). Associations were seen for anticonvulsant medications with shorter seizure duration and lower remission rates (e.g., lamotrigine: β coefficient, −6.02; adjusted odds ratio, 0.67).

"This cohort study is the largest yet supporting the association between seizure length and remission from MDD after ECT," the authors write. "Seizure duration appeared to be indicative of adequate treatment quality."

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text

Editorial

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Higher Social Media Use Tied to Subsequent Depressive Symptoms in Youth

FRIDAY, May 23, 2025 -- Higher social media use is associated with greater subsequent depressive symptoms in children and adolescents, according to a study published online May 21...

Tumor-Related Epilepsy Not Strong Prognostic Factor in Diffuse Glioma

WEDNESDAY, May 21, 2025 -- For patients with diffuse gliomas, tumor-related epilepsy (TRE) is not a strong prognostic factor, according to a study published in the May issue of...

Combinations of Chronic, Physical Illnesses Up the Risk of Subsequent Depression

WEDNESDAY, May 21, 2025 -- Certain groups of physical multimorbidity may be associated with a higher risk of subsequent depression, according to a study published online May 13...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.