RESULTS The most common indication for using ECT for schizophrenia patients was to augment pharmacotherapy , while the most common accompanying symptoms were , in order , catatonia , aggression and suicide .
Catatonic patients responded significantly better to ECT than patients with any other subtype of schizophrenia .
The combination of ECT with pharmacotherapy can be useful for drug-resistant patients .
The use of an ECT-risperidone combination or ECT-clozapine combination in patients non-responsive to prior pharmacotherapy was found to be most effective .
This review indicates that ECT , combined with pharmacotherapy , may be a viable option for a selected group of patients with schizophrenia .
In particular , the use of ECT is recommended for drug-resistant patients , for schizophrenic patients with catatonia , aggression or suicidal behavior  , and when rapid global improvement and reduction of acute symptomatology are required
BACKGROUND Electroconvulsive therapy ( ECT ) is a medical treatment that is most effective for mood disorders ( Bipolar Disorder and Major Depression ) .
It has also been shown to be an effective treatment for schizophrenia accompanied by catatonia , extreme depression , mania and other affective components .
ECT is currently under-used in many psychiatric setting s due to its stigmatized perception by patients and mental health professionals .
However , many unanswered questions remain regarding its role in the management of patients with schizophrenia .
AIM Evaluate the main indications of ECT in subjects suffering from schizophrenia .
OBJECTIVES Investigate the efficacy and the main indications of  ECT in the treatment of schizophrenic patients , evaluate its effects in the short-term and the long-term , compare ECT treatment with pharmacotherapy , and assess the effects of treatment with ECT .
Long-term efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy combined with different antipsychotic drugs in previously resistant schizophrenia.
BACKGROUND In treatment-resistant schizophrenia a combination of ECT with antipsychotics has been reported to have superior outcomes compared to other strategies , however the results were inconsistent . We investigated the long-term effects of the combination of unilateral , non-dominant hemisphere ECT with three antipsychotics . SUBJECTS AND METHODS The clinical study was a naturalistic , prospect i ve , open-labeled , active-controlled study in adult out patients of both genders suffering from treatment-resistant schizophrenia with a follow up of 2 years . The patients received sulpiride ( n=17 , 100 - 400mg/day , PO ) , risperidone ( n=26 , 2 - 8 mg/day , PO ) or olanzapine ( n=27 , 5 - 10mg/day , PO ) . Unilateral ECT was applied in 1 unit ( 0.5A , 0.8 mS ) in six single applications , once a week and further according to the clinical need , in fortnight steps . Clinical efficacy was established using the PANSS and CGI psychometric scales . RESULTS According to the results , the most effective treatment mode was olanzapine plus ECT , then risperidone plus ECT , while sulpiride plus ECT had lower clinical efficacy . Olanzapine plus ECT was significantly superior in all scale scores vs sulpiride plus ECT , as well as risperidone plus ECT except for PANSS-P ( t=1.85 , p>0.05 ) . During the study , 38 of 70 patients were withdrawn due to treatment failure ( n=21 ) , side effects ( n=6 ) and non-compliance ( n=11 ) . CONCLUSION The combination of novel antipsychotics and ECT can be used safely and effectively in treatment-resistant schizophrenia
RESULTS The most common indication for using ECT for schizophrenia patients was to augment pharmacotherapy , while the most common accompanying symptoms were , in order , catatonia , aggression and suicide .
Catatonic patients responded significantly better to ECT than patients with any other subtype of schizophrenia .
The combination of ECT with pharmacotherapy can be useful for drug-resistant patients .
The use of an ECT-risperidone combination or ECT-clozapine combination in patients non-responsive to prior pharmacotherapy was found to be most effective .
This review indicates that ECT , combined with pharmacotherapy , may be a viable option for a selected group of patients with schizophrenia .
In particular , the use of ECT is recommended for drug-resistant patients , for schizophrenic patients with catatonia , aggression or suicidal behavior  , and when rapid global improvement and reduction of acute symptomatology are required
BACKGROUND Electroconvulsive therapy ( ECT ) is a medical treatment that is most effective for mood disorders ( Bipolar Disorder and Major Depression ) .
It has also been shown to be an effective treatment for schizophrenia accompanied by catatonia , extreme depression , mania and other affective components .
ECT is currently under-used in many psychiatric setting s due to its stigmatized perception by patients and mental health professionals .
However , many unanswered questions remain regarding its role in the management of patients with schizophrenia .
AIM Evaluate the main indications of ECT in subjects suffering from schizophrenia .
OBJECTIVES Investigate the efficacy and the main indications of  ECT in the treatment of schizophrenic patients , evaluate its effects in the short-term and the long-term , compare ECT treatment with pharmacotherapy , and assess the effects of treatment with ECT .