From the Editor
It’s an effective treatment for depression – maybe the most effective. Yet ECT remains highly controversial. Patients routinely ask about its safety; the media portrayal is tough.
This week, we look at two new studies on electroconvulsive therapy. In the first, just published in The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, the authors consider the use of ECT in Quebec over a 15-year period, finding a decline over time.
An ECT Machine: going the way of the dodo bird?
We also look at a new paper from Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica considering the safety of ECT, tapping a rich database.
These new papers point to a public health problem: the treatment is incredibly safe (and effective) but used less and less often.
Note: there will be no Reading next week.
DG
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