OBJECTIVE: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the most effective treatments in mood disorders, mainly in major depressive episode (MDE) in the context of either unipolar (MDD) or bipolar disorder (BD). However, ECT remains a neglected and underused treatment. Older people are at high risk patients for the development of adverse drug reactions. In this context, we sought to determine the duration of MDEs and the number of lines of treatment before the initiation of ECT in patients aged 65 years or over according to the presence or absence of first-line indications for using ECT from international guidelines.
METHODS: In this multicenter, retrospective study including patients aged 65 years or over with MDEs in MDD or BD who have been treated with ECT for MDEs, data on the duration of MDEs and the number of lines of treatment received before ECT were collected. The reasons for using ECT, specifically first-line indications (suicidality, urgency, presence of catatonic and psychotic features, previous ECT response, patient preference) were recorded. Statistical comparisons between groups used standard statistical tests.
RESULTS: We identified 335 patients. The mean duration of MDEs before ECT was about 9 months. It was significantly shorter in BD than in MDD- about 7 and 10 months, respectively. The co-occurrence of chronic medical disease increased the duration before ECT in the MDD group. The presence of first-line indications for using ECT from guidelines did not reduce the duration of MDEs before ECT, except where there was a previous response to ECT. The first-line indications reduced the number of lines of treatment before starting ECT.
CONCLUSIONS: Even if ECT seems to be a key treatment in the elderly population due to its efficacity and safety for MDEs, the delay before this treatment is still too long.

The ubiquitous coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has required healthcare providers across all disciplines to rapidly adapt to public health guidelines to reduce risk while maintaining quality of care. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which involves an aerosol-generating procedure from manual ventilation with a bag mask valve while under anesthesia, has undergone drastic practice changes in order to minimize disruption of treatment in the midst of COVID-19. In this paper, we provide a consensus statement on the clinical practice changes in ECT specific to older adults based on expert group discussions of ECT practitioners across the country and a systematic review of the literature. There is a universal consensus that ECT is an essential treatment of severe mental illness. In addition, there is a clear consensus on what modifications are imperative to ensure continued delivery of ECT in a manner that is safe for patients and staff, while maintaining the viability of ECT services. Approaches to modifications in ECT to address infection control, altered ECT procedures, and adjusting ECT operations are almost uniform across the globe. With modified ECT procedures, it is possible to continue to meet the needs of older patients while mitigating risk of transmission to this vulnerable population.