Objectives@#This study examined the
satisfaction of
patients who had undergone
electroconvulsive therapy to provide important information for improving the social misunderstanding about
electroconvulsive therapy, to increase the
effectiveness of
treatment, and make a
decision of effective
treatment. @*
Methods@#A
questionnaire survey was conducted to determine the
satisfaction,
adverse effects,
attitudes, and experiences toward
electroconvulsive therapy in
patients at 2 to 4 weeks after finishing an acute
course of
electroconvulsive therapy in three
psychiatric hospitals. @*Results@#There were 85
respondents (38
males), whose average age was 42.0±13.6 years and average illness duration was 12.8±8.9 years. Fifty-two
patients (61.2%), 19 (22.4%), 8 (9.4%), and 6 (7.1%) were diagnosed with
schizophrenia,
major depressive disorder,
bipolar disorder, and other
mental disorders, respectively. The average session number for acute
electroconvulsive therapy was 12.6±6.0 sessions, and 61
patients (71.8%) had received
maintenance electroconvulsive therapy. Among the
respondents, 60.0% reported that they were satisfied with the
electroconvulsive therapy.
Satisfaction was
similar according to
sex, age,
diagnosis,
electrode placement, and use of
anesthetic agents. Forty-three (53.8%)
patients experienced
memory impairment during acute
electroconvulsive therapy. @*Conclusion@#This study showed that
patients who received
electroconvulsive therapy were generally satisfied with the
treatment and that
memory impairment should be detected early and managed promptly.
Follow-up studies with a large number of subjects and variables
will be needed to determine the predictive factors affecting
satisfaction toward
electroconvulsive therapy.