Self-report of improvement following hospitalization for electroconvulsivetherapy: Relationship to functional status and service use

From the perspective of the consumer, improvement is important in the asses sment of treatment outcome. In order to gain a better understanding of heal th related factors that are meaningful to service recipients, patients who had been hospitalized for electroconvulsive therapy were surveyed following discharge to the community. Self-reported improvement was related to frequ ency of social contact and being able lo engage in useful work. It was also related to a global-assessment-of-functioning score at the time of dischar ge from the hospital. The receipt of aftercare was not related to the degre e of self-reported improvement in this study.