Electroconvulsive Therapy Dose Parameters and Seizure Duration in Psychiatric Disorders: A Retrospective Observational Study

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is indeed one of the oldest treatment modalities in psychiatry, which is still used in today’s clinical practice to treat a wide range of psychiatric disorders. Aim: The study aimed assess whether there was a correlation between the charge delivered and the seizure duration during the ECT sessions. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective observational study, conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Assam, a Northeastern state of India. For the study, the ECT register of the department is reviewed over a 7-year period from November 2017 to June 2024 and the relevant data were extracted. Results: During the study period, 31 patients received ECT in a total of 154 sessions over 7 years, i.e., from November 2017 to June 2024. Significant positive correlations between charge delivered and seizure duration were observed in schizophrenia and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Conclusion: Modified ECT achieved adequate therapeutic seizures across a range of psychiatric disorders. A significant positive correlation between electrical charge delivered and seizure duration was observed in schizophrenia and OCD, highlighting the importance of individualized ECT dosing.