Levels of Mania and Cognitive Performance Two Years After Ect in Patients With Bipolar I Disorder - Results From a Follow-Up Study Publisher Pubmed



Haghighi M¹ ; Barikani R¹ ; Jahangard L¹ ; Ahmadpanah M¹ ; Bajoghli H² ; Sadeghi Bahmani D³ ; Holsboertrachsler E³ ; Brand S^{3, 4}
Source: Comprehensive Psychiatry Published:2016

Abstract

Background There is limited evidence on the long-term outcomes for patients with bipolar I disorder (BP-I-D) and treated with ECT. Therefore, we asked whether mania scores and cognitive performance at the end of ECT treatment (baseline/BL) predicted mania scores, cognitive performance, recurrence, treatment adherence, and mood (depression; hypomania) two years later (follow-up/FU). Method 38 patients with BP-I-D undergoing ECT at baseline were followed up two years later. A brief psychiatric and cognitive assessment (Mini Mental State Examination; short-term verbal memory test) was performed; patients completed questionnaires covering recurrence, treatment adherence, and mood (depression; hypomania). Results High cognitive performance at BL predicted high cognitive performance at FU; low mania scores at BL predicted low mania scores at FU. By FU, cognitive performance had increased and mania scores decreased. Mania scores and cognitive performance at BL did not predict recurrence, or adherence to medication, or mood (depression; hypomania). Conclusions The pattern of results suggests that after two years of successful treatment of acute mania with ECT, cognitive impairment, measured by MMSE and a short-term verbal memory test, is not impaired and mood symptom recurrence seems to be improved. Mania scores and cognitive performance at the end of ECT treatment predicted neither mood (depression; hypomania), nor recurrence, or adherence to medication two years later. © 2016 Elsevier Inc.