Electroconvulsive therapy has been used for 70 years in both uni- and bipolar depression with high rates of remission. Psychometric tests as Hamilton or Beck underscores the clinical observations of more than 80% remitted patients. Whether patients manage life after lifting of a depression may hinge on available coping strategies in the individual patient. Antonovsky Sense of Coherence test (SOC) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used as a markers of a purported change.
Material
20 patients with unipolar (15) and bipolar (5) depression underwent a course of ECT with unilateral stimulation under general anaesthesia. All patients were inpatients at an acute psychiatry facility. The psychometric tests
Results
Mean score on Beck depression inventory decreased from 34.0 to 17.3 in unipolar patients and from 36.2 to 17.6 in bipolar patients. Antonovsky sense of coherence test (13-question version) increased from 2.5 to 3.2 and 2.6 to 3.1, respectively.
Discussion
Both tests changed in the expected direction for both unipolar and bipolar depressed patients, and the change was significant. Unipolar and bipolar patients did not differ. But the patients still had a mean on BDI indicating continued light depression, and on the SOC scale the results indicated continued problems in mastering, and comprehending life. A follow-up study on a larger sample is necessary for further implications of the results.