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Important Notice: The Forum does not endorse any medical product or therapy. ALL medications and supplements should be taken ONLY under the supervision of a physician, due to the possibility of side-effects, drug interactions, etc.

(see Price, T.R. and Mcallister, T.W. 1989).

ECT is used for agitation in demented patients. As agitation can be caused by delirium and other acute-onset medical problems (irremediable and possibly exacerbated by ECT), this mode of therapy should only be used with extreme caution, by able and experienced specialists. Special concerns for the use of ECT include legal consent, workup, technique (unilaterality of electrode placement, schedule of sessions, etc.), and continued care.

The benefits of ECT are impressive. Up to 90% of patients respond positively. The side effects are short-term memory impairment, which is almost always transient and reversible. Furthermore, in patients with dementia, the overall memory ends up improved up to half the time.