Prognostic Factors in the Electro-Shock Treatment of Depressive States

Abstract

During the past ten years varying degrees of prognostic value have been claimed, directly or indirectly, for a number of specific factors in connection with the treatment of depressive illnesses by E.C.T. These have included the blood pressure responses to adrenaline and methacholine (Funkensteinet al., 1948, 1950); the “sedation threshold” to intravenous sodium amylobarbitone (Shagass, 1954; Shagass and Jones, 1958); EEG changes under thiopentone following electroshock (Roth, 1951; Rothet al., 1957); and psychological tests based on items derived from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (Pearson, 1950; Feldman, 1957, 1958; Welsh, 1952). Other studies have been made on the prognostic value of adrenocortical activity (Faureet al., 1957); serum calcium levels (Gour and Chaudhry, 1957); the “amytal test” (Kahnet al., 1956); and the administration of methylamphetamine (“methedrine”) (Rudolf, 1956). Some of the techniques employed appear too complicated or unreliable in their interpretation to be of any practical clinical value, although a few are of great theoretical value in the contributions to further knowledge of the rationale of E.C.T.