Abstract
Objective. The authors present beneficial effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in two family members: a mother suffering from drug-resistant recurrent depression and her daughter with drug-resistant paranoid schizophrenia.
Case. The 64-year-old mother was diagnosed with recurrent depression 9 years earlier and had a history of 6 severe psychotic episodes. Since her psychopharmacotherapy proved unsuccessful, she was receiving maintenance ECT during the past 5 years. Her 31-year-old daughter has been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia for a year. Although her therapy with olanzapine was initially promising, ECT turned out to be the only effective treatment during her subsequent hospitalization.
Comments. The mother and her daughter suffer from two different psychiatric disorders. However, they share some common elements: psychotic symptoms, drug-resistance, a good tolerance to and high efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy.