Classics in ECT: Abrams LTE on Suicide Prevention With ECT, Am J Psych 1969

 "Classics in ECT" brings you this LTE from Richard Abrams, from 1969:

Suicide and ECT.

Abrams R.Am J Psychiatry. 1969 Aug;126(2):272. doi: 10.1176/ajp.126.2.272.PMID: 5804820

                                     
The letter is here:


To the point, this brief LTE from ECT scholar Richard Abrams is particularly relevant today, as we finally have excellent data to support the role of ECT in suicide prevention:
Electroconvulsive Therapy and the Risk of Suicide in Hospitalized Patients With Major Depressive Disorder.
Rönnqvist I, Nilsson FK, Nordenskjöld A.JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Jul 1;4(7):e2116589. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.16589.PMID: 34287633
Risk of suicide death following electroconvulsive therapy treatment for depression: a propensity score-weighted, retrospective cohort study in Canada.
Kaster TS, Blumberger DM, Gomes T, Sutradhar R, Wijeysundera DN, Vigod SN.Lancet Psychiatry. 2022 Jun;9(6):435-446. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(22)00077-3. Epub 2022 Apr 26.PMID: 35487236
Dr. Abrams' letter is also of historical interest for the "personal communication" from ECT pioneer and scholar Lothar Kalinowsky.



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