Quantification of fracture rate during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) using state-mandated reporting data

More than 80 years after its introduction, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains the most effective treatment for both unipolar and bipolar depression, with response rates of approximately 75% and remission rates of greater than 50% [1]. While the general depiction of ECT in movies and television continues to be of painful and traumatic treatments [2], the FDA recognized the overall safety of ECT devices by reclassifying them as Class II in December 2018. Mandated among the labeling requirements was warnings about the potential for physical trauma including fractures.