ECT for Depression: No Long-term Dementia Risk ECT for Depression: No Long-term Dementia Risk
Patients with severe depression who undergo electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) have no greater risk than the general population of developing dementia over the long-term, new research suggests.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines)
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines - March 7, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Psychiatry News Source Type: news
Level of inflammation could help predict effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy for major depression
FINDINGSPeople 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.BACKGROUNDInflammatory molecules in the blood, such as C-reactive protein and interleukin 6, are associated with depression, and higher levels of inflammation predict that people won ’t respond as well to antidepressant medications as other people do.Scientists wanted to see if levels of inflammatory molecul...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - March 5, 2018 Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news
Book Review: Insane Consequences
I have read Insane Consequences: How the Mental Health Industry Fails the Mentally Ill a couple of times and am still contemplating it. It also inspired me to research further into how we treat the seriously mentally ill in America.
In the book, author DJ Jaffe takes on what he calls the “mental health industry,” and I think that is a fair characterization. He is not the only writer to use the phrase, and he confronts that industry with a voice that reminds me of a prosecuting attorney on a mission.
Jaffe became involved in the mental health system in the 1980s when his wife’s 18 year old sister, Lynn, ca...
Source: Psych Central - February 14, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Stan Rockwell, PsyD Tags: Book Reviews Caregivers Disabilities Policy and Advocacy Psychiatry Psychology Schizophrenia Treatment DJ jaffe mental health policy Mental Illness mental illness violence serious mental illness Source Type: news
Uganda:Parliament Asked to Drop Electroconvulsive Therapy From Mental Health Bill
[Monitor] The Initiative for Social and Economic Rights (ISER), a Non-Government Organisation advocating for "the adoption and use of human rights" healthcare wants Parliament to drop electroconvulsive therapy used on mental health patients. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - February 9, 2018 Category: African Health Source Type: news
ECT for Manic State in a Bipolar, OCD Teenager ECT for Manic State in a Bipolar, OCD Teenager
Should electroconvulsive therapy be considered in young patients with severe mania when first-line treatment options have failed?Journal of Medical Case Reports (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - January 29, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Psychiatry Journal Article Source Type: news
Efficacy and safety of maintenance electroconvulsive therapy for sustaining resolution of severe aggression in a major neurocognitive disorder - Selvadurai MI, Waxman R, Ghaffar O, Fischler I.
We report a novel electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) regimen for sustaining the resolution of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) using alternating acute and maintenance ECT (M-ECT) trials. A 64-year-old man presenting with major neuroco... (Source: SafetyLit)
Source: SafetyLit - January 9, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Age: Elder Adults Source Type: news
Electroconvulsive therapy for self-injurious behaviour in autism spectrum disorders: recognizing catatonia is key - Wachtel LE, Shorter E, Fink M.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Self-injurious behaviour (SIB) is a devastating condition frequently encountered in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) that can lead to dangerous tissue injury and profound psychosocial difficulty. An increasing number of reports over the ... (Source: SafetyLit)
Source: SafetyLit - December 21, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Program and Other Evaluations, Effectiveness Studies Source Type: news
How electroconvulsive therapy relieves depression per animal experiments
(Johns Hopkins Medicine) In a study using genetically engineered mice, Johns Hopkins researchers have uncovered some new molecular details that appear to explain how electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) rapidly relieves severe depression in mammals, presumably including people. The molecular changes allow more communication between neurons in a specific part of the brain also known to respond to antidepressant drugs. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - December 18, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
Effects of continuation electroconvulsive therapy on quality of life in elderly depressed patients: a randomized clinical trial - McCall WV, Lisanby SH, Rosenquist PB, Dooley M, Husain MM, Knapp RG, Petrides G, Rudorfer MV, Young RC, McClintock SM, Mueller M, Prudic J, Greenberg RM, Weiner RD, Bailine SH, Youssef NA, McCloud L, Kellner CH.
We examined whether electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) plus medications ("STABLE + PHARM" group) had superior HRQOL compared with medications alone ("PHARM" group) as continuation strategy after successful acute right unilateral ECT for major depressive dis... (Source: SafetyLit)
Source: SafetyLit - December 5, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Age: Elder Adults Source Type: news
Electroconvulsive therapy for agitation and aggression in dementia: a systematic review - Van den berg JF, Kruithof HC, Kok RM, Verwijk E, Spaans HP.
OBJECTIVES: Many patients with dementia develop agitation or aggression in the course of their disease. In some severe cases, behavioral, environmental, and pharmacological interventions are not sufficient to alleviate these potentially life-threatening sy... (Source: SafetyLit)
Source: SafetyLit - November 13, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Age: Elder Adults Source Type: news
Ketamine Infusions: They Didn ’t Help Me But They Could Help You
Ketamine infusions are one of the latest treatments available for treatment resistant depression. There are many hospitals and research centers offering free or fee for service treatments in order to gather data to support FDA approval as well as insurance approval.
My personal experience involves having ketamine infusions at one of the best psychiatric and research-based hospitals in the country. They are collecting every bit of data involving what happens to the patient prior to each treatment, during the infusion as well as post-treatment. I always felt in good hands and felt grateful to be receiving the treatment at a...
Source: Psych Central - October 31, 2017 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Risa Sugarman Tags: Depression Medications Psychiatry Treatment Depressive Episode experimental treatment ketamine Major Depressive Disorder Mood Disorder Treatment Resistant Depression Source Type: news
Short- and long-term evaluation of cognitive functions after electroconvulsive therapy in a Japanese population - Takagi S, Takeuchi T, Yamamoto N, Fujita M, Furuta K, Ishikawa H, Motohashi N, Nishikawa T.
AIM: While electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a well-established, safe and effective treatment for mental illnesses, the potential for adverse effects on cognitive functions remains controversial. We aimed to evaluate multiple cognitive functions in differ... (Source: SafetyLit)
Source: SafetyLit - October 30, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Tags: Economics of Injury and Safety, PTSD, Injury Outcomes Source Type: news
Electroconvulsive therapy mostly used on women and older people, says study
Findings are a cause for concern and symptom of the ‘over-medicalising of human distress’, says co-author of report using NHS dataThe use ofelectroconvulsive therapy to treat serious mental health problems is more prevalent in women and older individuals, researchers have found.The study, which looked at data from a group of NHS trusts in England between 2011 and 2015, found that, on average, two thirds of recipients of ECT were women, and 56% were people aged over 60.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - October 20, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Nicola Davis Tags: Mental health Society NHS Psychology Older people Science Depression Source Type: news
Audit uncovers concerns about the use of electroconvulsive therapy in England
(Wiley) Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) continues to be used in England without comprehensive national auditing. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - October 20, 2017 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
'Magic mushrooms' may help 'reset' depressive brains, study claims
Conclusion
For people with depression who are not helped by conventional treatment such as antidepressants and talking therapies, studies such as this one may offer a glimmer of hope. This and previous studies on psilocybin suggest it may one day become a treatment option for people with a range of psychiatric conditions.
It's important to note that this is experimental, early-stage research. The study lacked a control group, so it's hard to know whether the improvement in mood, or the changes seen on MRI scans, can be attributed to the drug.
The study is very small and we should bear in mind that half of those taking part...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 16, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Mental health Neurology Source Type: news
