Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or shock therapy, remains a critical biomedical intervention for severe, treatment-resistant depression. While its origins can be traced back to Hippocrates' observations that malaria-induced convulsions alleviated mental illness, modern ECT has evolved significantly from its earlier, more primitive applications. First introduced in 1938 by Ugo Cerletti and his colleagues, ECT involves inducing controlled seizures using electrical currents. In its early years,...

Treatment Strategies for Psychological Disorders

Treatment Strategies for Psychological Disorders

Treatment approaches for psychological disorders fall into three main categories: psychological, biological, and sociocultural. Each approach targets different aspects of mental health, requiring varying levels of education and training.
Psychological therapies focus on modifying emotions, thoughts, and behaviors through talking, interpreting, listening, rewarding, challenging, and modeling. Clinical psychologists, counselors, and social workers commonly practice psychotherapy. Clinical...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Comment on Residual neuromuscular blockade following electroconvulsive therapy.

Anaesthesia and intensive care·2026

Same author

Corrigendum to "Revisiting subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation for depression: Long-term safety and effectiveness outcomes from a pooled analysis of 172 implanted patients" [Brain Stimul 18 (2025) 1632-1640].

Brain stimulation·2026

Same author

A Structured Consent Framework for Research of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Advanced Dementia: Consent Process for the ECT-AD Trial.

The journal of ECT·2026

Same author

Relapse Prevention After Successful ECT for Depression: The Role of Lithium and Continuation/Maintenance ECT.

The American journal of psychiatry·2026

Same author

Confirmatory efficacy and safety trial of magnetic seizure therapy versus right unilateral ultra-brief electroconvulsive therapy in depression (CREST-MST): a randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial in Canada and the USA.

The lancet. Psychiatry·2026

Same author

Variability in Real-World Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Practice: Is Perfection the Enemy of the Good?

The journal of ECT·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Conventional Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Depression: A Step-by-Step Protocol

Conventional Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Depression: A Step-by-Step Protocol

Published on: November 21, 2025

Toward individualized post-electroconvulsive therapy care: piloting the Symptom-Titrated, Algorithm-Based

Sarah H Lisanby¹, Shirlene Sampson, Mustafa M Husain

¹Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA. slisanby@columbia.edu

The Journal of ECT

|August 19, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A new Symptom-Titrated, Algorithm-Based Longitudinal ECT (STABLE) approach effectively predicts relapse in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) patients. This personalized strategy identifies 100% of relapses early, optimizing continuation ECT (C-ECT) schedules.

More Related Videos

Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder

Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder

Published on: November 25, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Conventional Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Depression: A Step-by-Step Protocol

Conventional Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Depression: A Step-by-Step Protocol

Published on: November 21, 2025

Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder

Protocol for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Symptom Provocation to Treat Obsessive-compulsive Disorder

Published on: November 25, 2025

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychiatry
Clinical Research

Background:

Effective strategies are needed to prolong remission after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
Fixed schedules for continuation ECT (C-ECT) lack adaptability to early relapse signs.
A novel patient-focused approach, Symptom-Titrated, Algorithm-Based Longitudinal ECT (STABLE), is proposed to individualize ECT schedules.

Purpose of the Study:

To back-test the STABLE algorithm for optimizing individualized ECT schedules.
To prevent overtreatment in patients not needing further ECT.
To recapture response in patients at risk of relapse with rigid dosing schedules.

Main Methods:

Three STABLE algorithm variations were back-tested.
The study utilized a dataset of 89 patients randomized to C-ECT in the CORE Study.
The CORE Study compared C-ECT with combination pharmacotherapy.

Main Results:

The selected STABLE algorithm identified 100% of patients who relapsed, predicting the need for additional ECT an average of 2.2 weeks before relapse.
This algorithm exposed 20% of sustained remitters to additional ECT.
Other algorithm variations failed to capture impending relapse or led to unnecessary ECT exposure.

Conclusions:

The STABLE approach offers the first operationalized guidance for conducting continuation ECT.
This patient-focused strategy aims to improve relapse prevention in ECT.
Further validation through a randomized controlled trial is recommended.