Patients will be randomized to either bitemporal brief pulse electroconvulsive therapy ( 0.5 ms pulse width) or right unilateral ultrabrief pulse electroconvulsive therapy for the first six treatments. If further treatment is necessary, electrode placement will be chosen by the treating psychiatrist. All electroconvulsive therapy treatments will be performed with a Thymatron System IV instrument. (Somatics, LLC, Lake Bluff, Illinois, USA) Pre- electroconvulsive therapy testing will occur within one week of beginning treatment. Post-electroconvulsive therapy testing will occur within 48 hours of the 6th treatment.
