Electroconvulsive therapy relieves major depression better than ketamine

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-04-13 01:00

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A meta-analysis of five trials, with a total of around 280 patients has found electroconvulsive therapy to be slightly better than ketamine after a major depressive episode. The study showed ECT, which involves a brief electrical stimulation of the brain while the patient is under anesthesia, also had lower remission rates. However the researchers say the effect was relatively small, and there are more severe potential side effects to ECT, so ketamine trials should also be offered to patients considering the therapy.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Psychiatry

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Organisation/s: Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, India

Funder: Dr Menon reports traveling to deliver guest lectures and conduct workshops, funded by the organizers of the programs in the cities in which they were conducted. Dr Andrade reports publishing an e-newsletter supported by Sun Pharmaceuticals (payments are made directly to registered charities); previously publishing print newsletters for free distribution as an educational service to medical professionals in India, for which production costs were reimbursed by the pharmaceutical organizations responsible for the distribution: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries and Intas Pharmaceuticals; traveling to deliver guest lectures and conduct workshops, funded by the organizers of the programs in the cities in which they were conducted; consulting for Sun Pharmaceutical Industries and Intas Pharmaceuticals for nominal compensation in the form of academic support towards slide preparation or purchase of materials such as textbooks or directly to charities; receiving payments for developing educational materials for scientific initiatives and programs, such as for Behavioral and Neurosciences Foundation of India, PsyBase India, Texas Tech University, Nordic Association for Convulsive Therapy, and American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology.

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