Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 17, 2025

Vagus Nerve Stimulation As an Adjunctive Neurostimulation Tool in Treatment-resistant Depression
Published on: January 7, 2019
[Electroconvulsive therapy in the treatment of depression in anorexia nervosa]
Background:
Often anorexia nervosa occurs with other psychiatric comorbidities of which mood disorders are the most frequent. Depressive feelings hamper the chance of a favourable outcome of this persistent disorder. In addition, the underweight makes antidepressants work suboptimal. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) offers an important therapeutic value in the treatment of mood disorders. We are investigating whether ECT can be an effective treatment method for patients with anorexia nervosa and major depressive disorder.
Aim:
Analysis of the literature on the possible effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the treatment of major depressive disorder and anorexia nervosa supplemented with a case report.
Method:
Literature study in PubMed, Web of Science and Embase and a case report.
Results:
262 published articles were found between 1955 and 2020, 16 were found to be relevant.
Conclusion:
From the literature, clinical recommendations cannot be made binding. No randomized controlled trials have been published on this subject. However, we saw in our case study and in the literature found that clearing the depressive symptoms through electroconvulsive therapy led to an improvement in food and fluid intake. ECT has no effect on their deranged thought pattern.
More Related Videos
09:07Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins
Published on: August 15, 2017
07:46Using the Activity-based Anorexia Rodent Model to Study the Neurobiological Basis of Anorexia Nervosa
Published on: October 22, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Electroconvulsive Therapy
Bulimia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents
Treatment Strategies for Psychological Disorders
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...
Depressive Disorders: Etiology
Biological Factors in Depression
Biological predispositions significantly influence the risk of developing depressive disorders. Genetic studies highlight the role of variations in the serotonin transporter...