A Pilot Study of Adjunctive Group Therapy to Enhance Coping With Cognitive Challenges and Support Cognitive Health After Electroconvulsive Therapy

Abstract

Objectives Concerns about the cognitive adverse effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are common among recipients of the treatment despite its relatively small adverse effects on cognitive functioning. Interventions aimed at remediating or improving coping with cognitive adverse effects of ECT have not been developed. The Enhancing Cognitive Domains after ECT (ENCODE) program is a new group intervention aimed at teaching self-management strategies to cope with the cognitive challenges and associated anxiety that often accompanies ECT. Methods This pilot study used a pretest-posttest design to examine the feasibility and clinical utility of delivering ENCODE to 20 adults who had received ECT in a hospital-based ECT program. Results The program was found to be both feasible and acceptable as indicated by the attainment of recruitment targets, high rates of attendance (85% of participants attended at least 5 of the 6 group sessions), and high participant satisfaction ratings (88% reported that ENCODE helped or helped very much to manage their cognitive challenges). The clinical utility of the program was suggested by reductions in depressive symptom severity and subjective memory complaints. Nonsignificant improvements were observed in global cognitive function and cognitive self-efficacy. Conclusions This study provides preliminary evidence for the feasibility and clinical utility of ENCODE based on program demand, strong participant satisfaction, and postgroup reductions in distress and subjective memory complaints.