Factors Related to the Outcome of Depression Treated with E.C.T.

There are two stages in the evaluation of a new treatment: the first is to determine if it has any effect at all, and the second is to determine as strictly as possible, the conditions of its applicability. In practice, these two stages overlap considerably, for they are not completely distinct. As soon as some evidence is available that a treatment is effective, attention tends towards ascertaining the precise indications for its use, the evaluation of its effectiveness, its contraindications and complications.