4. Mortality and suicide rates

Hunt I., Windfuhr K., Swinson N. et. al. (2011), Electroconvulsive therapy and suicide among the mentally ill in England: a national clinical survey., Psychiatry Research 187;145-149

The fall in the use of ECT in England between 1999 and 2006 did not appear to have an effect on the suicide rate. Suicide cases were more likely to be inpatients or within three months of discharge and 1% of patients were being treated with ECT at the time of death.

Bradvik L., Berglund M., (December 2000),Treatment and suicide in severe depression: a case-control study of antidepressant therapy at last contact before suicide. J of ECT, 16(4):399-408.

A survey of treatment in 89 people who committed suicide compared to 89 controls showed no difference in antidepressant or ECT prescription and no difference in response to treatment. However in the post ECT group there was an increased rate of suicide for those not on maintenance antidepressants.

Abrams R. (1997),The mortality rate with ECT. Convulsive Therapy. 13(3):125-127

Guze SB, Robins E (1970), Suicide and primary affective disorder. . Brit J Psych. 117:437-448

Houston P.E., Locher L.M. (1948), Involutional psychosis: course when untreated and treated with electric shock. Arch neurol. Psychiatry, 60, 37-48.

Inskip H., Harris E., Barraclough B. (1998), Lifetime risk of suicide for affective disorder, alcoholism and schizophrenia. Brit J Psych. 172, 35-37.

King E (1999), Suicide in the mentally ill. An epidemiological sample and implications for clinicians. , Brit J Psych. 165(5):658-63.

Milstein V., Small J.G., Small I.F. et. al., (1986),Does electroconvulsive therapy prevent suicide? Convulsive therapy , 2, 3-6.

Murphy E., Smith R., Lindesay J., Slattery J. (1988), Increased mortality rates in late-life depression Brit. J Psych. 152.347-53, March.

Philibert R.A., Richards L., Lynch C.F., Winokur G. (1995),Effect of ECT on mortality and clinical outcome in geriatric unipolar depression. J Clin Psychiatry 56:390-4.

Prudic J, Sackeim H.A. (1999), Electroconvulsive therapy and suicide risk. Journal of clinical psychiatry. 60 (suppl 2), 104-110.

Rich C.L., Spiker D.G., Jewell S.W. et al. (1986), Response of energy and suicidal ideation to ECT. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 47, 31-32.