The Effect of a Music Intervention on Postictal Agitation in Electroconvulsive Therapy Patients

Participants in the group receiving music will be offered a tablet with several pre-created playlists. When the patient has made a selection, they will listen to music via headphones for 30 minutes before each ECT treatment session. The headphones will be removed and the music stopped after the 30 minutes. After active ECT treatment, the headphones will be put back on the patient and the music played for another 12 minutes while the patient is recovering and moved to the recovery room. If patients protest against the music and/or headphones, the researcher will ask them to put the headphones back on. If the patient still protests after asking to put the headphones back on, this will be written down by the researcher, with the amount of time without the (control) intervention noted. No coercion will be used during the whole study process.

The control group will wear headphones without music for the same duration as the music group (30 minutes before ECT and 12 minutes after ECT) to reduce bias and achieve a similar level of background-noise dampening.