Clinical and sociodemographic characteristics associated with relapse following electroconvulsive therapy for bipolar disorder

Patients with bipolar disorder face a particularly high risk of relapse following ECT if they present with the following characteristics when initiating ECT: age <40, being a pensioner, having received treatment with an antipsychotic before initiating ECT, or having psychotic bipolar depression, psychotic mania, mixed episodes, or other bipolar episodes as the indication for ECT. These findings may guide relapse monitoring following ECT in bipolar disorder.