Naturalistic Study on the Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) on Depressive Symptoms

2021 ◽  
pp. 070674372110640
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Goegan ◽  
Gary M. Hasey ◽  
Jelena P. King ◽  
Bruno J. Losier ◽  
Peter J. Bieling ◽  
...  

Objective The effectiveness of ECT under naturalistic conditions has not been well-studied. The current study aimed to 1) characterize a naturalistic sample of ECT patients; and 2) examine the long-term outcomes of ECT on depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II; BDI-II) and functional disability symptoms (WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0) in this sample. Methods Participants were adults who received ECT for a major depressive episode at an ambulatory ECT clinic between September 2010 and November 2020. Clinical and cognitive assessments were completed at baseline ( n = 100), mid-ECT ( n = 94), 2–4 weeks post-ECT ( n = 64), 6-months post-ECT ( n = 34), and 12-months post-ECT ( n = 19). Results At baseline, participants had severe levels of depressive symptoms (BDI-II: M = 41.0, SD = 9.4), and 62.9% screened positive for multiple psychiatric diagnoses on the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Depressive symptoms ( F(4,49.1) = 49.92, P  < 0.001) and disability symptoms ( F(3,40.72) = 12.30, P  < 0.001) improved significantly following ECT, and this was maintained at 12-months follow-up. Improvement in depressive symptoms trended towards significantly predicting reduction in disability symptoms from baseline to post-ECT, ( F(1,56) = 3.67, P  = 0.061). Although our clinical remission rate of 27% (BDI-II score [Formula: see text] 13 and [Formula: see text] 50% improvement) and overall response rate of 41.3% ([Formula: see text]50% improvement in BDI-II score) were lower than the rates reported in the extant RCT and community ECT literature, 36% of those treated with ECT were lost to follow-up and did not complete post-ECT rating scales. At baseline, remitters had significantly fewer psychiatric comorbidities, lower BDI-II scores, and lower disability symptoms than non-responders ( P < 0.05). Conclusions Participants were severely symptomatic and clinically complex. ECT was effective at reducing depressive symptoms and functional disability in this heterogeneous sample. Although a large amount of missing data may have distorted our calculated response/remission rates, it is also likely that clinical heterogeneity and severity contribute to lower-than-expected remission and response rates to ECT.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Maxi Weber ◽  
Sarah Schumacher ◽  
Wiebke Hannig ◽  
Jürgen Barth ◽  
Annett Lotzin ◽  
...  

Abstract Several types of psychological treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are considered well established and effective, but evidence of their long-term efficacy is limited. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the long-term outcomes across psychological treatments for PTSD. MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, PTSDpubs, PsycINFO, PSYNDEX, and related articles were searched for randomized controlled trials with at least 12 months of follow-up. Twenty-two studies (N = 2638) met inclusion criteria, and 43 comparisons of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) were available at follow-up. Active treatments for PTSD yielded large effect sizes from pretest to follow-up and a small controlled effect size compared with non-directive control groups at follow-up. Trauma-focused treatment (TFT) and non-TFT showed large improvements from pretest to follow-up, and effect sizes did not significantly differ from each other. Active treatments for comorbid depressive symptoms revealed small to medium effect sizes at follow-up, and improved PTSD and depressive symptoms remained stable from treatment end to follow-up. Military personnel, low proportion of female patients, and self-rated PTSD measures were associated with decreased effect sizes for PTSD at follow-up. The findings suggest that CBT for PTSD is efficacious in the long term. Future studies are needed to determine the lasting efficacy of other psychological treatments and to confirm benefits beyond 12-month follow-up.


Author(s):  
Philip Keye ◽  
Thabo Lapp ◽  
Daniel Böhringer ◽  
Sonja Heinzelmann ◽  
Philip Maier ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Immune-mediated corneal graft rejection (IR) is a leading cause of corneal graft failure. The endothelium, stroma, epithelium, or a combination can be affected. Little is known about the long-term outcomes of different types of IR. Methods We reviewed the medical records of all keratoplasties that had been performed at our eye centre between 2003 and 2016 (n = 3934) for any kind of IR that occurred between the surgery and 2019. All patients with a definite diagnosis of IR and sufficient clinical data were included in the analysis. IRs were grouped according to the affected part of the graft (endothelial, stromal, epithelial, and mixed). We analysed the dynamics of recovery and the clinical outcomes. Results We identified a total of 319 patients with IR. Twenty-seven of those were lost to follow-up and were excluded from further analysis. Of the IRs, 89% affected the endothelium. Endothelial IR resulted more frequently in a considerable loss of endothelial cell density than other forms of IR. Stromal IR showed a lower relapse rate and a better visual recovery than other types of IR and resulted less often in a failure of the graft. Conclusions We herein report comprehensive data about the prognosis regarding functional recovery after different types of IR following keratoplasty. Our data underline that timely recognition and correct classification of IR are important because they determine the clinical course and prognosis.


2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (8) ◽  
pp. 1347-1359 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. BRODATY ◽  
G. LUSCOMBE ◽  
C. PEISAH ◽  
K. ANSTEY ◽  
G. ANDREWS

Background. There is still a relative paucity of information about the long-term course of depression.Methods. Consecutive patients admitted to a teaching hospital psychiatry unit with symptoms of depression, previously assessed at 6 months and 2, 5 and 15 years after index admission, were reviewed at 25 years (N = 49, including eight informants of deceased probands, of an original 145 with major depression (DEPs)). Prospective psychiatric (N = 22) and retrospective surgical (N = 50) control groups assessed after 25 years were used for comparison.Results. A further decade of follow-up confirmed the chronicity of depression. Of depressed patients (DEPs) followed for the full 25-year-period only 12% of the 49 original DEPs recovered and remained continuously well, 84% experienced recurrences, 2% experienced an unremitting course and another 2% died by suicide. Note that in the first 15-year-period 6% (9/145 DEPs) committed suicide, a further 38 died and 32 were lost to follow-up. They experienced an average of three episodes of depression over the 25 years. In the decade since the 15-year follow-up, 27% improved in clinical outcome (including four of five previously chronically depressed patients), 55% remained unchanged and 18% worsened; and the number of episodes per year declined. Patients initially diagnosed with neurotic or endogenous depression had similar long-term outcomes. The criteria for a current DSM-III-R disorder were met by 37% of DEPs, including 11% with depression or dysthymia. On the global assessment of functioning scale 78% of the DEPs had some impairment compared to 62% of psychiatric controls and 40% of surgical controls.Conclusion. Even after 25 years, severe depressive disorders appear to have poor long-term outcomes. Patients with chronic outcomes over 15 years can improve when followed over longer periods.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Liangrong ◽  
Zhang Guican ◽  
Zhu Qi ◽  
Yang Weirui ◽  
Zhang Yaqi ◽  
...  

Objectives: The long-term outcome of childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS) and its influencing factors remain unclear. The current study aimed to assess the long-term outcomes of COS and identify possible outcome predictors.Methods: We retrospectively investigated 276 patients with COS. Diagnosis made according to the ICD-10 criteria for schizophrenia, and the age of the first onset was ≤ 14 years. Follow-up was completed for 170 patients, with a median follow-up period of 5.6 years. Outcome variables included occupational/education status and readmission. Spearman correlation was performed to assess the relationship between predictors and outcome variables. Binary logistic regression was conducted to detect possible predictor variables for outcome variables.Results: At the end of the follow-up, 89 patients (52.3%) were at school, 70 patients (41.2%) were employed, and only 11 patients (6.5%) were dropped out of school or unemployed. The duration to the first admission and depressive symptoms were identified as predictors of occupational/educational status. The length of follow-up and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) were distinguished as predictors of readmission. Duration to the first admission and length of follow-up were risk factors, and depressive symptoms and OCS were protective factors for the outcomes of COS.Conclusion: We found a favorable long-term outcome on occupational/education status in COS, and depressive symptoms and OCS may be associated with more positive long-term outcomes in COS. Our findings suggest that COS patients may benefit from early intervention and require appropriate treatment.


2022 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilda Cennamo ◽  
Daniela Montorio ◽  
Luca D’ Andrea ◽  
Antonio Farella ◽  
Elide Matano ◽  
...  

Uveal melanoma is the most common primary intraocular malignancy. The aim of this retrospective study was to report the results after ruthenium-106 (Ru-106) plaque brachytherapy for uveal melanoma in terms of tumor control, visual acuity, radiation-related complications, tumor recurrence, metastases, and patients’ survival rate during 4 years’ follow-up. A total of 355 eyes from 355 patients have been treated with Ru-106 plaque brachytherapy for uveal melanoma between February 2011 and March 2020. Five patients were lost to follow-up, and then 350 eyes of 350 patients (mean age 58 ± 11 years) were enrolled in this retrospective study. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmic examination including echography and spectral domain–optical coherence tomography. The mean follow-up was 4 years (3 months to 9 years). After treatment, the mean tumor thickness was reduced to 1.75 ± 0.21 mm. Radiation complications were found in 63% of patients: 38% showed radiation maculopathy, 11% had optic neuropathy, and 14% developed cataracts. Cancer-free survival was 99%, 97%, and 85%, respectively, at 5, 7, and 9 years. Ru-106 plaque brachytherapy represents a reliable treatment of uveal melanoma. This technique is valid and safe with a low rate of ocular complications during a long-term follow-up.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya-Ting Chiang ◽  
Wei-Hsin Ting ◽  
Chi-Yu Huang ◽  
Shih-Kang Huang ◽  
Chon-In Chan ◽  
...  

AbstractGraves disease (GD) is the most common cause of thyrotoxicosis in children and adolescents, accounting for 15% of all thyroid diseases during childhood. Anti-thyroid drugs (ATD) are recommended as the first-line treatment in children and adolescents. However, the remission rate is lower in children than in adults, and the optimal treatment duration and favorite factors associated with remission remain unknown. We aimed to investigate long-term outcomes of pediatric GD patients receiving ATD. We retrospectively reviewed medical charts of 300 pediatric GD subjects, who were initially treated with ATD and followed up for more than one year, from 1985 to 2017 at MacKay Children’s Hospital. The 300 patients comprised 257 (85.7%) females and 43 (14.3%) males, median age at diagnosis was 11.6 (range 2.7-17.8) years, and median follow-up period was 4.7 (range 1.1-23.9) years. Overall, 122 patients achieved the criteria for discontinuing ATD treatment, seventy-nine (39.9%) patients achieved remission, with a median follow-up period of 5.3 (range 1.5-20.1) years. Patients in the remission group were more likely to be aged < 5 years (remission vs. relapse vs. ongoing ATD; 11.4 vs. 0 vs. 2.6%, P=0.02), less likely to have a family history of thyroid disease (24.1 vs. 42.1 vs. 52.6 %, P=0.001), and had lower TRAb levels (42.8 vs. 53.6 vs. 65.1 %, P=0.02).ConclusionLong-term ATD remains an effective treatment option for GD in children and adolescents. Pediatric GD patients aged < 5 years, having no family history of thyroid disease and having lower TRAb levels were more likely to achieve remission.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (07) ◽  
pp. 1109-1117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rudolf Uher ◽  
Sanna Pallaskorpi ◽  
Kirsi Suominen ◽  
Outi Mantere ◽  
Barbara Pavlova ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundThe long-term outcomes of bipolar disorder range from lasting remission to chronic course or frequent recurrences requiring admissions. The distinction between bipolar I and II disorders has limited utility in outcome prediction. It is unclear to what extent the clinical course of bipolar disorder predicts long-term outcomes.MethodsA representative sample of 191 individuals diagnosed with bipolar I or II disorder was recruited and followed for up to 5 years using a life-chart method. We previously described the clinical course over the first 18 months with dimensional course characteristics and latent classes. Now we test if these course characteristics predict long-term outcomes, including time ill (time with any mood symptoms) and hospital admissions over a second non-overlapping follow-up period in 111 individuals with available data from both 18 months and 5 years follow-ups.ResultsDimensional course characteristics from the first 18 months prospectively predicted outcomes over the following 3.5 years. The proportion of time depressed, the severity of depressive symptoms and the proportion of time manic predicted more time ill. The proportion of time manic, the severity of manic symptoms and depression-to-mania switching predicted a greater likelihood of hospital admissions. All predictions remained significant after controlling for age, sex and bipolar I v. II disorder.ConclusionsDifferential associations with long-term outcomes suggest that course characteristics may facilitate care planning with greater predictive validity than established types of bipolar disorders. A clinical course dominated by depressive symptoms predicts a greater proportion of time ill. A clinical course characterized by manic episodes predicts hospital admissions.


VASA ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 264-274
Author(s):  
Dagmar Krajíčková ◽  
Antonín Krajina ◽  
Miroslav Lojík ◽  
Martina Mulačová ◽  
Martin Vališ

Background: Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis is a major cause of stroke and yet there are currently no proven effective treatments for it. The SAMMPRIS trial, comparing aggressive medical management alone with aggressive medical management combined with intracranial angioplasty and stenting, was prematurely halted when an unexpectedly high rate of periprocedural events was found in the endovascular arm. The goal of our study is to report the immediate and long-term outcomes of patients with ≥ 70 % symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis treated with balloon angioplasty and stent placement in a single centre. Patients and methods: This is a retrospective review of 37 consecutive patients with 42 procedures of ballon angioplasty and stenting for intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (≥ 70 % stenosis) treated between 1999 and 2012. Technical success (residual stenosis ≤ 50 %), periprocedural success (no vascular complications within 72 hours), and long-term outcomes are reported. Results: Technical and periprocedural success was achieved in 90.5 % of patients. The within 72 hours periprocedural stroke/death rate was 7.1 % (4.8 % intracranial haemorrhage), and the 30-day stroke/death rate was 9.5 %. Thirty patients (81 %) had clinical follow-up at ≥ 6 months. During follow-up, 5 patients developed 6 ischemic events; 5 of them (17 %) were ipsilateral. The restenosis rate was 27 %, and the retreatment rate was 12 %. Conclusions: Our outcomes of the balloon angioplasty/stent placement for intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis are better than those in the SAMMPRIS study and compare favourably with those in large registries and observational studies.


Crisis ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Curran ◽  
Michael Fitzgerald ◽  
Vincent T Greene

There are few long-term follow-up studies of parasuicides incorporating face-to-face interviews. To date no study has evaluated the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity at long-term follow-up of parasuicides using diagnostic rating scales, nor has any study examined parental bonding issues in this population. We attempted a prospective follow-up of 85 parasuicide cases an average of 8½ years later. Psychiatric morbidity, social functioning, and recollections of the parenting style of their parents were assessed using the Clinical Interview Schedule, the Social Maladjustment Scale, and the Parental Bonding Instrument, respectively. Thirty-nine persons in total were interviewed, 19 of whom were well and 20 of whom had psychiatric morbidity. Five had died during the follow-up period, 3 by suicide. Migration, refusals, and untraceability were common. Parasuicide was associated with parental overprotection during childhood. Long-term outcome is poor, especially among those who engaged in repeated parasuicides.


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