Case Report
Lloyd Reeve Johnson, Alston
Abstract
Alcohol and drug dependence are strongly associated with major depression. ECT remains an effective yet poorly understood treatment and NCSE is a serious, apparently uncommon, yet probably under-reported side-effect of ECT especially in those who have recently withdrawn from alcohol or benzodiazepine drugs. Alcohol or drug dependence should be considered risk factors for non-convulsive status epilepticus in patients undergoing ECT and withdrawal should be complete before ECT is prescribed.