Electroconvulsive Therapy News and Research

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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.

FDA approves expansion of St. Jude Medical's BROADEN deep brain stimulation study for depression

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for expansion of its BROADEN (BROdmann Area 25 DEep brain Neurostimulation) study for depression. This expansion will allow a maximum of 20 sites across the U.S. to enroll up to 125 patients.

11 Jul 2011

Promising results for new depression treatment

A new, non-invasive treatment for depression that delivers barely perceptible electric currents to the scalp has had promising results in a Sydney trial, and researchers are now looking for participants for a follow up study.

4 Apr 2011

Mental health laws delayed to take into account public opinion

The Victorian government has extended the closing date for public comment on changes to the state’s Mental Health Act. The deadline has been extended to February 28. Submissions on the Exposure Draft Mental Health Bill 2010 can be lodged online.

26 Jan 2011

Patients with chronic depression can benefit from pioneering neurosurgical treatment

Pioneering neurosurgical treatment, a world first in Bristol, which very accurately targets brain networks involved in depression, could help people who suffer with severe and intractable depression.

25 Jan 2011

Stigma remains over Major Depressive Disorder

Despite there being 39.1 million people suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) across the seven major markets, only one third of patients will seek help from a physician, finds latest research from independent analyst Datamonitor.

11 Jan 2011

General anesthesia's similarities with and differences from sleep and coma

The use of general anesthesia is a routine part of surgical operations at hospitals and medical facilities around the world, but the precise biological mechanisms that underlie anesthetic drugs' effects on the brain and the body are only beginning to be understood. A review article in the December 30 New England Journal of Medicine brings together for the first time information from a range of disciplines, including neuroscience and sleep medicine, to lay the groundwork for more comprehensive investigations of processes underlying general anesthesia.

30 Dec 2010

Study finds TMS is an effective treatment solution for major depression

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), the treatment delivers a series of electrical pulses to the part of the brain associated with depression and other mood disorders. The pulses generate an electric current in the brain that stimulates neurons to increase the release of more mood-enhancing chemicals like serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.

15 Oct 2010

Depression treatment guidelines updated

There has been an update in the treatment of clinical depression. This includes suggestions on the use of medication, talk therapy, exercise, and alternative treatments and puts more emphasis on tailor made treatments for patients.

4 Oct 2010

Doctor depression on the rise: Review

According to a review of Australian and international research released by Beyondblue this week, doctors use more prescription drugs and have a higher rate of suicide than the general population. General Practitioner Naomi Harris says doctors are less inclined to seek help for their own mental illness, resulting in some disturbing trends and she is urging doctors to come out for help being a member of an advisory committee formed to deal with the problem.

1 Sep 2010

Latest achievements in brain research and treatment for mental disorders

Mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorders, addiction and schizophrenia are the core challenge of most health care systems around the world. In the EU alone, each year 27% of the total adult population - this corresponds to 83 Million citizens - suffer from mental disorders. Depression alone affects almost 20 million ranking in the EU as the most disabling disorder of all diseases.

30 Aug 2010

23rd European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress to be held 28 Aug - 1 Sep 2010 in Amsterdam

26 Aug 2010

Ketamine reduces depression in treatment-resistant bipolar disorder: Study

A single intravenous dose of the anesthetic agent ketamine appears to reduce symptoms of depression within 40 minutes among those with bipolar disorder who have not responded to other treatments, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

3 Aug 2010

Study indicates GABA neurotransmitters could play a key role in major depressive disorder

The next advance in treating major depression may relate to a group of brain chemicals that are involved in virtually all our brain activity, according to a study published today in Biological Psychiatry.

2 Mar 2010

Neurosurgeons perform world's first operation on 'habenula' to treat depression

A team of neurosurgeons at Heidelberg University Hospital and psychiatrists at the Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim have for the first time successfully treated a patient suffering from severe depression by stimulating the habenula, a tiny nerve structure in the brain.

8 Jan 2010

PFNC presents Wake Forest psychiatrist the Eugene A. Hargrove, M.D., Award

Vaughn McCall, M.D., M.S., chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, has been presented the Eugene A. Hargrove, M.D., Award by the Psychiatric Foundation of North Carolina (PFNC).

29 Oct 2009

CNS Response to present results from depression efficacy study at U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress

CNS Response, Inc. announced that the company will present top-line results from its multi-site clinical trial next week at the U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress. "Referenced-EEG (rEEG®) Efficacy Compared to Star*D for Patients with Depression Treatment Failure: First Look at Final Results," will be presented by Charles DeBattista, M.D. on Monday, November 2nd, at 3:45 to 6:45 p.m. The conference is being held at the Mandalay Bay South Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV.

29 Oct 2009

New systematic study for managing treatment-resistant bipolar depression

Depression in bipolar illness is often difficult to treat and life-threating. Frequently it fails to respond to standard treatments. In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics a new drug combination is suggested.

27 Oct 2009

New neurosurgical procedure may prove helpful for patients with treatment-resistant depression

A new neurosurgical procedure may prove helpful for patients with treatment-resistant depression. Bilateral epidural prefrontal cortical stimulation (EpCS) was found generally safe and provided significant improvement of depressive symptoms in a small group of patients, according to lead researcher Ziad Nahas, M.D. at the Medical University of South Carolina. The data are reported in the on-line issue of Biological Psychiatry.

14 Oct 2009

Trial to begin on alternative treatment for depression

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) and The Black Dog Institute are seeking participants for a trial of a new, non-invasive form of brain stimulation therapy for depression, known as Direct Current Stimulation (DCS).

27 Jul 2009

Can pen and paper help make electronic medical records better?

The results of a new study of the pen and paper workarounds employed by healthcare providers who use an electronic medical record system may help make electronic medical records even more useful to health-care providers and the patients they serve.

20 Jul 2009