Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists professional practice guidelines for the administration of electroconvulsive therapy

Objectives:To provide guidance for the optimal administration of electroconvulsive therapy, in particular maintaining the high efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy while minimising cognitive side-effects, based on scientific evidence and supplemented by expert clinical consensus.Methods:Articles and information were sourced from existing guidelines and the published literature. Information was revised and discussed by members of the working group of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists’ Section for Electroconvulsive Therapy and Neurostimulation, and findings were then formulated into consensus-based recommendations and guidance. The guidelines were subjected to rigorous successive consultation and external review within the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, involving the full Section for Electroconvulsive Therapy and Neurostimulation membership, and expert and clinical advisors and professional bodies with an interest in electroconvulsive therapy administ...