Electroconvulsive Therapy as a Powerful Treatment for Delirium: A Case Report.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to describe the successful treatment of delirium with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

METHODS

The method of the study was a case report.

RESULTS

A 75-year-old man, with a recently diagnosed carcinoma of the parotid gland, was admitted with a fluctuating psychiatric syndrome. Delirium was diagnosed, although an acute underlying somatic cause could not be readily established. Antipsychotics and benzodiazepines were not effective. After 7 sessions of ECT, all symptoms ceased. This enabled him to receive radiotherapy for his tumor and enjoy a good quality of life for the remaining 8 months of his life.

CONCLUSIONS

Electroconvulsive therapy is not only a powerful treatment for catatonia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and delirious mania but also for the most commonly occurring fluctuating psychiatric syndrome--delirium.