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Radhika P, Basavarajappa C, Dahale AB, Arumugham SS, Jaisoorya TS, Jain S, Murthy P. Exploring the early history of convulsive therapies at the Mysore Government Mental Hospital (currently NIMHANS). Asian J Psychiatr 2023; 89:103747. [PMID: 37647785 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2023.103747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The paper describes the introduction, and early use of chemically and electrically induced convulsive therapies, at the Mysore Government Mental Hospital (MGMH), now the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, India. Cardiazol and ammonium chloride were used at MGMH before the introduction of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The study examines the early history, clinical correlates and outcome of convulsive therapies and attempts to contextualize how local conditions influenced implementation. METHOD Three sets of archival case-records from 1938 to 1948, each of a period of 9 months following the implementation of a particular mode of convulsive therapy were reviewed. RESULTS During the examined timeframe, 40 patients received cardiazol, 95 ammonium chloride and 50 unmodified ECT. Schizophrenia was the commonest clinical indication for convulsive therapy across all modalities of treatment. When outcomes were examined, 45%, 48.4% and 62% of patients were clinically reported to have been either cured/improved after receiving cardiazol, ammonium chloride and ECT respectively. Those receiving cardiazol had a high mortality of 22.5%, compared to 3.1% for ammonium chloride and 4% with ECT. CONCLUSIONS Convulsive therapies were one of the first somatic psychiatric treatments, introduced around 1930s and 1940s all over the world, including in India. Our archival records suggest that many international ideas about somatic treatments were quickly adopted in India. Electroconvulsive therapy and other novel neuromodulatory interventions continue to be used and actively researched in India.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Radhika
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Chethan Basavarajappa
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Ajit Bhalchandra Dahale
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Shyam Sundar Arumugham
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - T S Jaisoorya
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Sanjeev Jain
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Pratima Murthy
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru, India.
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Salani D, Goldin D, Valdes B, DeSantis J. Electroconvulsive Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression: Dispelling the Stigma. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv 2023:1-7. [PMID: 36853035 DOI: 10.3928/02793695-20230222-02] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
The current article is a comprehensive overview of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), especially with suicidality and psychosis. Common misconceptions and stigma associated with ECT are discussed. Major depressive disorder, one of the most prevalent lifetime mental disorders, is often associated with significant impairments that impacts one's ability to function. Antidepressants may be efficacious in treating depression; however, approximately one third of individuals do not respond to psychotropic medications. Therefore, other treatment options, such as ECT, must be considered for those who do not respond to medications, have psychosis, or are suicidal. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, xx(x), xx-xx.].
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Torrico T, Shaheen S, Weinstein D, Padhy R, Salam MT. Challenges of treating catatonia in the community setting without access to electroconvulsive therapy. THE JOURNAL OF MEDICINE ACCESS 2023; 7:27550834231220504. [PMID: 38144544 PMCID: PMC10748610 DOI: 10.1177/27550834231220504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Catatonia is a psychomotor syndrome resulting from an underlying psychiatric or medical disorder commonly observed in inpatient psychiatric units. While benzodiazepines and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are effective treatment options, the unavailability of ECT in many community psychiatric hospitals in the United States negatively affects patient outcomes. We present a 25-year-old African American male with a psychiatric diagnosis of schizophrenia complicated by malignant catatonia who was admitted to a community psychiatric hospital. He required intensive medical stabilization with supportive management, and transfer requests to ECT-equipped hospitals were initiated. While awaiting transfer for 148 days, the patient's symptoms did not fully remit with lorazepam (even with 36 mg daily in divided doses) and other psychotropic medication trials, including antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. After nearly 5 months of inpatient stay, he was successfully transferred, received ECT treatment, and experienced rapid resolution of catatonia. After discharge, to obtain three monthly sessions of maintenance ECT, he had 5-h one-way ground transportation arranged to an out-of-county ECT-equipped facility. There was no relapse in catatonia by the 2-year follow-up. This report highlights a significant healthcare disparity when attempting to manage severe catatonia within community hospital settings without access to ECT in the United States. Alternative treatments, including antipsychotics, had minimal impact on symptoms and possibly increased morbidity in this case while awaiting ECT. Treatment at our designated safety net hospital still required referral to 14 ECT-equipped hospitals before successful transfer. This case highlights the urgent need for ECT availability in more community hospitals to treat patients with refractory psychiatric conditions, including catatonia. ECT is an essential psychiatric treatment that, for certain conditions, has no appropriate alternatives. We propose that access to ECT be considered in the determination of safety net hospital systems, with improved ability to transfer patients who are suffering from treatable life-threatening mental health conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler Torrico
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, Experimental Therapeutics Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Kern Medical, Bakersfield, CA, USA
| | - Shahzeb Shaheen
- Department of Psychiatry, Kern Medical, Bakersfield, CA, USA
| | - David Weinstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Kern Medical, Bakersfield, CA, USA
| | - Ranjit Padhy
- Department of Psychiatry, Kern Medical, Bakersfield, CA, USA
| | - Md. Towhid Salam
- Department of Psychiatry, Kern Medical, Bakersfield, CA, USA
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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4
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Bahji A. The Rise, Fall, and Resurgence of Electroconvulsive Therapy. J Psychiatr Pract 2022; 28:440-444. [PMID: 36355582 DOI: 10.1097/pra.0000000000000666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the most effective treatments for depression. However, significant stigma from the media and the antipsychiatry movement has biased the public toward ECT, leading to underutilization, particularly among those most in need. This report reviews some of the key historical events in the rise, fall, and resurgence of ECT and how modern ECT knowledge and practice are more refined, including an improved understanding of its mechanisms of action and optimal treatment parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anees Bahji
- BAHJI: Department of Psychiatry and Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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5
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Tsai J, Szymkowiak D, Wilkinson ST, Holtzheimer PE. Twenty-year trends in use of electroconvulsive therapy among homeless and domiciled veterans with mental illness. CNS Spectr 2021; 28:1-7. [PMID: 34895380 DOI: 10.1017/s1092852921001061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To examine socioeconomic disparities in use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) among homeless or unstably housed (HUH) veterans with mental illness. METHODS National data from medical records in years 2000 to 2019 on 4 to 6 million veterans with mental illness, including 140 000 to 370 000 homeless veterans served annually from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system, were analyzed to examine ECT utilization and changes in utilization over time. RESULTS ECT utilization was higher among HUH veterans (58-104 per 1000) than domiciled veterans with mental illness (9-15 per 1000) across years with a trend toward increasing use of ECT use among HUH veterans over time. Among HUH and domiciled veterans who received ECT, veterans received an average of 5 to 9 sessions of ECT. There were great regional differences in rates of ECT utilization among HUH and domiciled veterans with the highest overall rates of ECT use at VA facilities in the Northeast and Northwest regions of the country. DISCUSSION ECT is commonly and safely used in HUH veterans in a comprehensive healthcare system, but geographic and local factors may impede access to ECT for veterans who may benefit from this treatment. Efforts should be made to reduce barriers to ECT in the HUH population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Tsai
- National Center on Homelessness among Veterans, Homeless Program Office, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Tampa, Florida, USA
- School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Dorota Szymkowiak
- National Center on Homelessness among Veterans, Homeless Program Office, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Samuel T Wilkinson
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Paul E Holtzheimer
- Executive Division, National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, White River Junction, Vermont, USA
- Departments of Psychiatry and Surgery, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA
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Karlović D, Badžim VA, Vučić M, Krolo Videka H, Horvat A, Peitl V, Silić A, Vidrih B, Aukst-Margetić B, Crnković D, Ivančić Ravlić I. EIGHTY YEARS OF ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY IN CROATIA AND IN SESTRE MILOSRDNICE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL CENTRE. Acta Clin Croat 2020; 59:489-495. [PMID: 34177059 PMCID: PMC8212646 DOI: 10.20471/acc.2020.59.03.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In 1937, Ugo Cerletti and Lucio Bini performed electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) in Rome for the first time. That was the time when different types of 'shock therapy' were performed; beside ECT, insulin therapies, cardiazol shock therapy, etc. were also performed. In 1938, Cerletti and Bini reported the results of ECT. Since then, this method has spread rapidly to a large number of countries. As early as 1940, just two years after the results of the ECT had been published, it was also introduced in Croatia, at Sestre milosrdnice Hospital, for the first time in our hospital and in the then state of Yugoslavia. Since 1960, again the first in Croatia and the state, we performed ECT in general anesthesia and continued it down to the present, with a single time brake.
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Maguire G, Truong A, Maguire G. A history of psychiatry in the United States of America. TAIWANESE JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY 2020. [DOI: 10.4103/tpsy.tpsy_12_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
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Goodwin GM, Haddad PM, Ferrier IN, Aronson JK, Barnes T, Cipriani A, Coghill DR, Fazel S, Geddes JR, Grunze H, Holmes EA, Howes O, Hudson S, Hunt N, Jones I, Macmillan IC, McAllister-Williams H, Miklowitz DR, Morriss R, Munafò M, Paton C, Saharkian BJ, Saunders K, Sinclair J, Taylor D, Vieta E, Young AH. Evidence-based guidelines for treating bipolar disorder: Revised third edition recommendations from the British Association for Psychopharmacology. J Psychopharmacol 2016; 30:495-553. [PMID: 26979387 PMCID: PMC4922419 DOI: 10.1177/0269881116636545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 457] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The British Association for Psychopharmacology guidelines specify the scope and targets of treatment for bipolar disorder. The third version is based explicitly on the available evidence and presented, like previous Clinical Practice Guidelines, as recommendations to aid clinical decision making for practitioners: it may also serve as a source of information for patients and carers, and assist audit. The recommendations are presented together with a more detailed review of the corresponding evidence. A consensus meeting, involving experts in bipolar disorder and its treatment, reviewed key areas and considered the strength of evidence and clinical implications. The guidelines were drawn up after extensive feedback from these participants. The best evidence from randomized controlled trials and, where available, observational studies employing quasi-experimental designs was used to evaluate treatment options. The strength of recommendations has been described using the GRADE approach. The guidelines cover the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, clinical management, and strategies for the use of medicines in short-term treatment of episodes, relapse prevention and stopping treatment. The use of medication is integrated with a coherent approach to psychoeducation and behaviour change.
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Affiliation(s)
- G M Goodwin
- University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - P M Haddad
- Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Eccles, Manchester, UK
| | - I N Ferrier
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, UK and Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle, UK
| | - J K Aronson
- Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford, UK
| | - Trh Barnes
- The Centre for Mental Health, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, UK
| | - A Cipriani
- University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - D R Coghill
- MACHS 2, Ninewells' Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, UK; now Departments of Paediatrics and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - S Fazel
- University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - J R Geddes
- University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - H Grunze
- Univ. Klinik f. Psychiatrie u. Psychotherapie, Christian Doppler Klinik, Universitätsklinik der Paracelsus Medizinischen Privatuniversität (PMU), Salzburg, Christian Doppler Klinik Salzburg, Austria
| | - E A Holmes
- MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK
| | - O Howes
- Institute of Psychiatry (Box 67), London, UK
| | | | - N Hunt
- Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - I Jones
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff, UK
| | - I C Macmillan
- Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, UK
| | - H McAllister-Williams
- Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, UK and Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle, UK
| | - D R Miklowitz
- UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - R Morriss
- Division of Psychiatry and Applied Psychology, Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham Innovation Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - M Munafò
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - C Paton
- Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, Dartford, UK
| | - B J Saharkian
- Department of Psychiatry (Box 189), University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kea Saunders
- University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Jma Sinclair
- University Department of Psychiatry, Southampton, UK
| | - D Taylor
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Pharmacy Department, Maudsley Hospital, London, UK
| | - E Vieta
- Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A H Young
- Centre for Affective Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
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Goodwin GM. Evidence-based guidelines for treating bipolar disorder: revised second edition--recommendations from the British Association for Psychopharmacology. J Psychopharmacol 2009; 23:346-88. [PMID: 19329543 DOI: 10.1177/0269881109102919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 326] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The British Association for Psychopharmacology guidelines specify the scope and target of treatment for bipolar disorder. The second version, like the first, is based explicitly on the available evidence and presented, like previous Clinical Practice guidelines, as recommendations to aid clinical decision making for practitioners: they may also serve as a source of information for patients and carers. The recommendations are presented together with a more detailed but selective qualitative review of the available evidence. A consensus meeting, involving experts in bipolar disorder and its treatment, reviewed key areas and considered the strength of evidence and clinical implications. The guidelines were drawn up after extensive feedback from participants and interested parties. The strength of supporting evidence was rated. The guidelines cover the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, clinical management, and strategies for the use of medicines in treatment of episodes, relapse prevention and stopping treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- G M Goodwin
- University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
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10
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Affiliation(s)
- Norman L Keltner
- Department of Nursing, California State University, Bakersfield, CA, USA.
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11
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Dumitriu D, Collins K, Alterman R, Mathew SJ. Neurostimulatory therapeutics in management of treatment-resistant depression with focus on deep brain stimulation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 75:263-75. [PMID: 18704979 DOI: 10.1002/msj.20044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Treatment-resistant depression continues to pose a major medical challenge, as up to one-third of patients with major depressive disorder fail to have an adequate response to standard pharmacotherapies. An improved understanding of the complex circuitry underlying depressive disorders has fostered an explosion in the development of new, nonpharmacological approaches. Each of these treatments seeks to restore normal brain activity via electrical or magnetic stimulation. In this article, the authors discuss the ongoing evolution of neurostimulatory treatments for treatment-resistant depression, reviewing the methods, efficacy, and current research on electroconvulsive therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, magnetic seizure therapy, focal electrically administered stimulated seizure therapy, transcranial direct current stimulation, chronic epidural cortical stimulation, and vagus nerve stimulation. Special attention is given to deep brain stimulation, the most focally targeted approach. The history, purported mechanisms of action, and current research are outlined in detail. Although deep brain stimulation is the most invasive of the neurostimulatory treatments developed to date, it may hold significant promise in alleviating symptoms and improving the quality of life for patients with the most severe and disabling mood disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dani Dumitriu
- Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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12
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Hirshbein L, Sarvananda S. History, power, and electricity: American popular magazine accounts of electroconvulsive therapy, 1940-2005. JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES 2008; 44:1-18. [PMID: 18196545 DOI: 10.1002/jhbs.20283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric treatment that has been in use in the United States since the 1940s. During the whole of its existence, it has been extensively discussed and debated within American popular magazines. While initial reports of the treatment highlighted its benefits to patients, accounts by the 1970s and 1980s were increasingly polarized. This article analyzes the popular accounts over time, particularly the ways in which the debates over ECT have revolved around different interpretations of ECT's history and its power dynamics.
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Abstract
Insulin coma and various types of convulsive therapies were the major biologic treatment modalities in psychiatry before the psychopharmacological era. Except for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), these methods disappeared from the psychiatric armamentarium after the introduction of psychotropic drugs. Atropine coma therapy (ACT) was one variety of nonconvulsive coma therapy used from the 1950s in a few state mental hospitals in the United States and in several Middle- and Eastern European countries until the late 1970s. In ACT, a coma of 6-10 hours' duration was induced with doses of parenteral atropine sulfate that were hundreds of times greater than the therapeutic dose administered in internal medicine. Although ACT was given to thousands of patients with a variety of diagnoses for nearly 3 decades, it is rarely mentioned, even in papers on the history of psychiatry. The method, indications, contraindications and adverse effects of ACT are summarized together with patients' personal accounts. Hypotheses concerning its mode of action are briefly mentioned. The reasons why ACT never gained wider acceptance are explored in the context of both contemporary psychiatric practice and the broader sociocultural climate of the era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gábor Gazdag
- Consultation-Liaison Psychiatric Service, Szt. László Hospital, Budapest, Hungary.
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14
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Goodwin GM. Evidence-based guidelines for treating bipolar disorder: recommendations from the British Association for Psychopharmacology. J Psychopharmacol 2003; 17:149-73; discussion 147. [PMID: 12870562 DOI: 10.1177/0269881103017002003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 286] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The British Association for Psychopharmacology guidelines specify the scope and target of treatment for bipolar disorder. They are based explicitly on the available evidence and presented, similar to previous Clinical Practice guidelines, as recommendations to aid clinical decision-making for practitioners. They may also serve as a source of information for patients and carers. The recommendations are presented together with a more detailed review of the available evidence. A consensus meeting, involving experts in bipolar disorder and its treatment, reviewed key areas and considered the strength of evidence and clinical implications. The guidelines were drawn up after extensive feedback from participants and interested parties. The strength of supporting evidence was rated. The guidelines cover the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, clinical management and strategies for the use of medicines in short-term treatment of episodes, relapse prevention and stopping treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- G M Goodwin
- University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
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15
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Abstract
Convulsive therapy was introduced to psychiatric practice in 1934. It was widely hailed as an effective treatment for schizophrenia and quickly recognized as equally effective for the affective disorders. Like other somatic treatments, it was replaced by psychotropic drugs introduced in the 1950s and 1960s. But two decades later, ECT was recalled to treat pharmacotherapy-resistant cases. Avid searches to optimize seizure induction and treatment courses, to reduce risks and fears, to broaden the indications for its use, and to understand its mechanism of action followed. Unlike other medical treatments, however, these searches were severely impeded by a vigorous antipsychiatry movement among the public and within the profession. ECT is effective in the treatment of patients with major depression, delusional depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, catatonia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and parkinsonism, and this breadth of action is both remarkable and unique. ECT is a safe treatment. No age or systemic condition bars its use. Its major limitations are the high relapse rates and the occasional profound effects on memory and recall that mar its success. Experiments to sustain its benefits with medications and with continuation ECT are underway. Its mode of action remains a mystery and this puzzle is an unappreciated challenge. The full impact of this intervention is yet to be felt.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Fink
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Long Island Jewish-Hillside Medical Center, Glen Oaks, Long Island, NY 11004, USA.
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