Out on PubMed today is an editorial by Tom Birkenhager and Linda vanDiermen that accompanies an article in the current issue of Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica written by myself, Jasmien Obbels and Pascal Sienaert (When to Consider ECT):
Electroconvulsive therapy: we are hesitant to use the most effective treatment for severe depression.
Birkenhager TK, van Diermen L.
Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2020 Apr;141(4):301-303. doi: 10.1111/acps.13171. No abstract available. 
PMID:
 
32311077

The pdf is here.

Drs. Birkenhager and vanDierman conclude with:

Hopefully, the review by Kellner et al. (2) can reduce some of the hesitation felt by treating psychiatrists and authors of guidelines. It could help to reduce the negative influence of stigma by educating its readers. Actually, we suggest that psychiatrists who treat patients with mood disorders or psychotic disorders as well as all residents in psychiatry should read this paper. They are the ones destined to integrate its recommendations into their clinical practice. This review shows that ECT should be first‐line treatment in patients with psychotic depression. Furthermore, ECT should be considered as first‐line treatment in patients with severe melancholic depression (without psychotic features).

On behalf of my co-authors, Jasmien and Pascal, I thank Tom and Linda for their appreciation of our review and the powerful, forthright conclusions in their editorial.

CK

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