Skip to main content
No access
Article
Published Online: May 1945

SPONTANEOUS CONVULSIONS FOLLOWING CONVULSIVE SHOCK THERAPY

Publication: American Journal of Psychiatry

Abstract

1. Of over 500 patients who received electric convulsive therapy, 2 exhibited spontaneous generalized convulsions 6½ to 8 weeks after termination of treatment. These 2 patients had never had seizures prior to treatment, nor were there any epileptic manifestations in any of the family members.
2. Pre-treatment EEGs are reported for the first time in patients exhibiting spontaneous convulsions subsequent to therapy. In both instances, the brain-wave tracings were abnormal prior to shock.
3. It is concluded that spontaneous convulsions following convulsive therapy are prone to occur only in those patients who have latent convulsive tendencies as revealed by the EEG.
4. The suggestion is made that pre-shock EEGs are particularly indicated in patients who give histories of previous convulsions in childhood or later life, or who have family members exhibiting epileptic manifestations.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to American Journal of Psychiatry
Go to American Journal of Psychiatry
American Journal of Psychiatry
Pages: 783 - 788

History

Published in print: May 1945
Published online: 1 April 2006

Authors

Affiliations

BERNARD L. PACELLA
The New York State Psychiatric Institute & Hospital, New York City.
S. EUGENE BARRERA
The New York State Psychiatric Institute & Hospital, New York City.

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format
Citation style
Style
Copy to clipboard

There are no citations for this item

View Options

Get Access

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login
Purchase Options

Purchase this article to access the full text.

PPV Articles - American Journal of Psychiatry

PPV Articles - American Journal of Psychiatry

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

View options

PDF/ePub

View PDF/ePub

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Share article link

Share