Mental problems in chronic pain patients with and without electroconvulsive therapy

Abstract

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been used for intractable chronic pain. We compared the mental health state of chronic pain patients with ECT (n=37) and of those without it (n=37) to learn if intractable chronic pain deteriorates mental health. The Cornell medical index and Hamilton's rating scale for depression were used. As a result, we found that ECT patients are neurotic and in moderate to severe depression. They need more intensive psychological support than the non-ECT patients do.