Salivary cortisol as predictor for depression characteristics and remission in electroconvulsive therapy in older persons

Objectives: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective treatment for depression; however, consensus on predictors for ECT outcome is lacking. We aim to examine the relation between pre-ECT salivary cortisol values and clinical characteristics and ECT outcome in depressed, older persons.Methods: A total of 102 inpatients meeting DSM-IV criteria for depression and referred for ECT were selected. Salivary cortisol was assessed at five...