Can ECT prevent premature death and suicide in ‘schizoaffective’ patients?

Mortality and suicide risks were higher in schizoaffective patients who had not received ECT compared to those having received ECT. The data are from a follow-up study of 74 schizoaffective patients admitted to University of Iowa Psychiatric Hospital between 1934 and 1944; these patients were traced in 1975. Even though the nature of schizoaffective disorder is still unknown, patients who present both schizophrenic and affective features, particularly with suicide risk, may benefit from ECT by lowering their mortality risk.