Electroconvulsive Therapy News and Research

RSS

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) involves the induction of a seizure for therapeutic purposes by the administration of a variable frequency electrical stimulus shock via electrodes applied to the scalp.

Levels of inflammatory biomarkers could predict effectiveness of ECT for people with depression

People with major depression that has not been well controlled by medications and who have a biomarker in their blood indicating a higher level of inflammation may benefit more than people with less inflammation from electroconvulsive therapy to ease symptoms of their depression, according to a new UCLA study.

6 Mar 2018

Common antidepressants may not work for depressed patients with chronic kidney disease

Scientists are finding more evidence that commonly prescribed antidepressants aren't effective in people battling both depression and a chronic medical disease, raising a critical question of whether doctors should enact widespread changes in how they treat millions of depressed Americans.

7 Nov 2017

Magic mushrooms may effectively reset activity of brain circuits involved in depression

Patients taking psilocybin to treat depression show reduced symptoms weeks after treatment following a 'reset' of their brain activity.

13 Oct 2017

Study finds transcranial direct-current stimulation to be less effective than anti-depressants

A new study questions the efficacy of treatments for depression based on stimulating brain areas with low-intensity electric current. The technique, known as transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS), was considered a promising alternative to treatment with antidepressant drugs.

31 Aug 2017

Older people treated with electroconvulsive therapy for depression may not get relief from insomnia

Older people receiving electroconvulsive therapy for their depression likely will need an additional treatment if insomnia is one of their symptoms, researchers report.

16 Aug 2017

Study reveals positive experience and attitude of patients on electroconvulsive therapy

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has long had a stigma of being a painful and barbaric method of treatment, but a new study found that patients undergoing ECT for a variety of psychiatric disorders view the therapy in a positive light.

5 Jun 2017

New therapy proves effective in reducing symptoms of treatment-resistant depression

In the largest study ever conducted with patients experiencing chronic and severe depression, researchers led by Dr. Scott Aaronson, Director of Clinical Research at Sheppard Pratt Health System have found that an implantable vagus nerve stimulation device paired with antidepressant treatment (which could include medications, psychotherapy, or electroconvulsive therapy proves effective in reducing symptoms among patients with treatment-resistant depression.

31 Mar 2017

Deep brain stimulation could be effective treatment option for patients with severe depressions

Treatment with deep brain stimulation can provide lasting relief to patients suffering from previously non-treatable, severe forms of depression several years into the therapy or even eliminate symptoms entirely.

20 Mar 2017

Painless tDCS technique could improve life for people with major depression

Small amounts of electricity similar to the output of a common 9-volt battery could improve life for people living with major depression, the most common mood disorder.

16 Nov 2016

AAGBI releases new standards of monitoring during anaesthesia for better patient safety

The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland has this month published new Standards in patient monitoring (Recommendations for standards of monitoring during anaesthesia and recovering 2016), and calls for all hospitals to work towards using capnography for all anaesthetist-led sedation to improve patient safety.

8 Sep 2016

Non-drug solutions for postpartum depression: an interview with Dr David Brock & Christopher Thatcher

Postpartum depression (PPD) is reported to occur in 10-15% of delivering women with an estimated 400,000 women affected annually in the US. It is the most common complication of childbirth and is a significant public health concern.

11 Jul 2016

Repeat, low-dose ketamine infusions may quickly reduce suicidal thoughts in depressed outpatients

Repeat intravenous treatment with low doses of the anesthetic drug ketamine quickly reduced suicidal thoughts in a small group of patients with treatment-resistant depression.

11 May 2016

FDA proposes to change regulation of ECT treatment

For decades, people with severe depression, bipolar disorder, and other major mental health conditions have gotten help from the treatment known as ECT, when nothing else helped them.

24 Mar 2016

Review of EAS cases among patients with psychiatric conditions in the Netherlands

A review of euthanasia or assisted suicide (EAS) cases among patients with psychiatric disorders in the Netherlands found that most had chronic, severe conditions, with histories of attempted suicides and hospitalizations, and were described as socially isolated or lonely, according to an article published online by JAMA Psychiatry.

11 Feb 2016

Clinical trial initiated to determine feasibility, safety of focused ultrasound to treat depression

The first patient with depression has been treated with focused ultrasound. This procedure marks the beginning of a pilot clinical trial to determine the feasibility and safety of MR-guided focused ultrasound to non-invasively destroy a small volume of tissue deep in the brain - the anterior limb of the internal capsule - a well-established target for treating severe depression.

29 Sep 2015

Catatonia may cause regression in Down syndrome patients

Down syndrome, the most common chromosomal disorder in America, can be complicated by significant deterioration in movement, speech and functioning in some adolescents and young adults. Physicians previously attributed this regression to depression or early-onset Alzheimer's, and it has not responded to treatments.

13 May 2015

Johns Hopkins student wins NCRC's 2015 Grand Prize

The National Collegiate Research Conference sponsored by the Harvard College Undergraduate Research Association awarded its 2015 Grand Prize to Mahima Sukumar, an undergraduate student at The Johns Hopkins University, working in the lab of Keri Martinowich, Ph.D., at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development.

5 Feb 2015

Electroconvulsive Therapy News and Research

Further Reading