Electroconvulsive Therapy Practice in Thailand: A Nationwide Survey

Figures & data

Table 1 The Number of ECT-treated Patients per Year in Thailand

Diagnosis	Number of Patients per Year
Schizophrenia	5,958 (64.1%)
Bipolar disorder	982 (10.6%)
- Bipolar mania	538 (6.3%)
- Bipolar depression	337 (3.6%)
- Mixed feature	107 (1.2%)
Major depressive disorder	869 (9.3%)
Substance use disorder	815 (8.8%)
Schizoaffective	506 (5.4%)
Others (catatonia, obsessive-compulsive disorder)	168 (1.8%)

Table 2 Electrode Placement and Dosing Strategy

	Number of Hospitals (%)
Electrode placement
Bitemporal	30 (88.2%)
Right unilateral	13 (38.2%)
Bifrontal	30 (88.2%)
Left unilateral	9 (26.5%)
Stimulus dosing strategy
Dose-titration method	24 (70.6%)
Age-based method	10 (29.4%)

Abbreviation: ECT, electroconvulsive therapy.

Table 3 Reasons of Unmodified ECT

Reasons of Unmodified ECT	Number of Hospitals
Lack of anesthesiologists	4
Patients’ risks of anesthesia	4
Less time consuming	3
Lack of equipment	2
More cost efficient	2
Incapable of managing anesthetic complications	2
Large number of cases	1

Abbreviation: ECT, electroconvulsive therapy.