Electroconvulsive therapy in chinese patients: a case series.

Although a growing body of literature suggests that ethnic differences affect individuals' response to psychotropic medication, there are little data describing ethnic differences in response to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). In this report, the charts of 12 Chinese patients given ECT in a New York City inpatient Asian psychiatric unit during an 18-month period were reviewed. No significant differences in response to ECT compared with typical response to ECT in the United States were found. The average number of treatments administered, response rate, and relapse rate were approximately consistent with American data. The only difference observed was the presence of delusions in all the patients referred for ECT.