The Role of Electroconvulsive Therapy in General Hospital Psychiatric Inpatients Treatment in Baghdad.

الملخص

Background: Despite the controversy about the role of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) it is still widely used in the treatment of some psychiatric disorders. Objectives: The aim of the study is to identify characteristics of the psychiatric inpatients and the role of ECT in the treatment of their disorders. Methods: Medical records of all inpatients admitted to Al Kadhymia teaching hospital; psychiatric unit were studied carefully. A special form was designed to collect the data. Diagnosis was made according to the International Classification of Diseases, the Tenth Revision (ICD-10). All the patients were examined physically. Results: The 145 inpatients included were 76 (52.4%) males and 69 (47.8%) females with age distribution of 17-75 years. Males were younger than females and 64.7% of the total sample was under the age of 40 years. Average duration of admission was 4.6 weeks. Schizophrenia made the most frequent diagnosis (41.4%) followed by depression (25.5%) and Mania (7.6%). All patients received psychosocial and psychotropic treatment. Only 13 classical medicines were used.