CONTINUOUS SCREAMING CONTROLLED BY ELECTROCONVULSIVE-THERAPY - A CASE-STUDY

Patients in long-term care who scream continuously or continually caus e considerable distress to other residents and staff. It is suggested that many such patients (whether demented or not) are depressed. Howev er, antidepressants, tranquillizers and behavioural management techniq ues often fail to control the screaming. This article documents the ef fectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the case of a 69-yea r-old woman with mild mental retardation, who had a past history and c urrent evidence of depressive symptoms and who screamed for increasing ly prolonged periods during the 4 months prior to ECT. It is recommend ed that use of ECT be considered in cases of elderly people who scream incessantly, especially if they might be depressed.