Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
World J Biol Psychiatry. 2013 Aug;14(6):432-40. doi: 10.3109/15622975.2012.665176. Epub 2012 Mar 12.
The aim of the study was to document the present situation of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in Germany, compare its handling with regard to other industrialized countries and with regard to a survey 12 years ago.
A questionnaire on the frequency and type of administration of ECT in 2008 was sent electronically to 423 psychiatric hospitals. As needed, up to five reminders were carried out by telephone. On this occasion, the question of whether ECT is administered, could be clarified for each hospital.
A total of 43% (183/423) of hospitals declared to administer ECT; 63% (115/183) reported nearly 20,000 treatments. A total incidence of 30,000 treatments performed on 2800 individual patients was estimated. This means that 3.4 patients per 10(5) inhabitants, 0.4‰ of all depressed patients, and about 1% of depressed inpatients, are treated with ECT in Germany.
The frequency of application has increased during the last 12 years by a factor of more than 2.5 in Germany. In Western industrialized countries, numbers vary by a factor of more than 10 amongst the countries with a slow trend of equalization. The mode of implementation and the areas of conflict in which the therapy stands seem to be similar.
本研究旨在记录德国电抽搐治疗（ECT）的现状，将其与其他工业化国家以及 12 年前的一项调查进行比较。
2008 年，向 423 家精神病院发送了一份关于 ECT 实施频率和类型的电子问卷。如有需要，通过电话进行了多达五次的提醒。借此机会，还可以向每家医院询问是否实施 ECT。
共有 43%（183/423）的医院表示实施 ECT；63%（115/183）报告了近 2 万次治疗。估计总共对 2800 名个体患者进行了 3 万次治疗。这意味着德国每 10 万居民中有 3.4 名患者、所有抑郁患者的 0.4‰和大约 1%的住院抑郁患者接受 ECT 治疗。
与 12 年前相比，德国的应用频率在过去 12 年中增加了 2.5 倍以上。在西方工业化国家中，各国之间的差异高达 10 倍以上，且呈均衡化缓慢趋势。治疗的实施模式和冲突领域似乎相似。
