Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38831553›Full record

ArticleThe Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry2024

Electroconvulsive therapy in a tertiary Australian mental health facility between 2009 and 2020.

Emily Martin, Subramanian Purushothaman, Emma Ballard, Julie A Blake, Kylie Burke, James G Scott

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Electroconvulsive therapy and autobiographical memory.Psychiatry, psychology, and law : an interdisciplinary journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Emily MartinMetro North Mental Health Service, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Herston, QLD, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-3728-6685
Subramanian PurushothamanMetro North Mental Health Service, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Herston, QLD, Australia.
Emma BallardBrain and Mental Health, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD, Australia.
Julie A BlakeBrain and Mental Health, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-8062-4029
Kylie BurkeMetro North Mental Health Service, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Herston, QLD, Australia.
James G ScottBrain and Mental Health, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-0744-0688

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite electroconvulsive therapy being one of the most effective treatments in psychiatry, few studies report trends in the provision of electroconvulsive therapy over time. This study aims to investigate the use of electroconvulsive therapy between 2009 and 2020 in an Australian public tertiary mental health facility, and to describe the electroconvulsive therapy patient population and change in courses of treatment.

methodsRoutinely collected data for 677 patients who received 1669 electroconvulsive therapy courses of treatment at an Australian public tertiary mental health facility between 2009 and 2020 were examined.

resultsThe provision of acute electroconvulsive therapy was stable across the study period; however, the number of maintenance electroconvulsive therapy courses commenced declined over the study. Schizophrenia was the most common indication for index treatment (37.4%). The majority of patients (85.7%) received acute electroconvulsive therapy only. Voluntary provision of electroconvulsive therapy declined over the study period, reducing from 44.9% in 2009 to 16.3% in 2020.

conclusionOver the study period, there was a significant reduction in the number of maintenance electroconvulsive therapy courses commenced, and a large increase in involuntary treatment. The provision of electroconvulsive therapy was more likely to occur in males with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Further studies are needed to generate a greater understanding of the factors influencing the provision of electroconvulsive therapy within differing geographical, social and healthcare landscapes.

Indexed as

Electroconvulsive TherapyTertiary Care CentersAdultAgedAustraliaFemaleHospitals, PsychiatricHumansMaleMental DisordersMiddle AgedSchizophreniadepressionMental disordersneurostimulationschizophrenia

Identifiers

PMID38831553
PMCPMC11892079

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.