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Practitioner Review: Electroconvulsive Therapy in Adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 1999

Garry Walter
Affiliation:
University of Sydney, Australia
Joseph M. Rey
Affiliation:
University of Sydney, Australia
Philip B. Mitchell
Affiliation:
University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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Abstract

There is increasing interest regarding electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in young persons but limited information about its optimal use. This paper reviews the indications, effectiveness, and side effects of the treatment in the teenage population and their implications for everyday clinical practice. There is particular reference to factors influencing the clinician to recommend or advise against convulsive therapy, steps in the assessment of patients, and consent issues. Practical aspects of ECT administration are also examined, including treatment locale, anaesthesia, electrode position, stimulus characteristics, EEG monitoring, and use of psychotropics during and after the ECT course.

Type
Review Article
Copyright
© 1999 Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry

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