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Early career psychiatrists’ attitudes towards electroconvulsive therapy: an international cross-sectional survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2023

C. Tapoi ,
C. Noel ,
R. de Filippis ,
D. Gurrea Salas ,
K. Mieze ,
D. Almeida ,
A. Pushko  and
M. Pinto da Costa
C. Tapoi*
Affiliation:
General Psychiatry, Alexandru Obregia Clinical Psychiatry Hospital, Bucharest, Romania
C. Noel
Affiliation:
Child Psychiatry, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Saint-Pierre, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
R. de Filippis
Affiliation:
Psychiatry Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
D. Gurrea Salas
Affiliation:
Department of Addictive Disorders, Psychiatric Services Aargau, Brugg, Switzerland
K. Mieze
Affiliation:
Department of Doctoral Studies, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia
D. Almeida
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hospital de Loures, Loures, Portugal
A. Pushko
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Narcology and Medical Psychology, Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
M. Pinto da Costa
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

With a history of several decades, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been carefully investigated and data supports its use as a safe and effective treatment for patients with severe depression, prolonged or severe manic episodes and catatonia. However, ECT is still regarded with reluctance by patients and caregivers, and its acceptance and use seem to be controversial even for psychiatrists.

Objectives

To investigate the access to opportunities of training in ECT among early career psychiatrists and their views regarding the place of ECT in modern psychiatry.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted between July and December 2022 utilizing an anonymous online survey consisting of 36 multiple-choice and Likert scale questions.

Results

These preliminary findings show a great discrepancy regarding the availability of ECT training in European countries, as access to specialized ECT centers is unavailable in some areas. Early career psychiatrists who had access to ECT training are more knowledgeable about the indications, precautions and side effects of this method. Most of our respondents consider ECT both an effective and a safe treatment option and have expressed their wish to improve their theoretical and practical competencies in ECT.

Conclusions

ECT is a standard treatment and a therapeutic mainstay in psychiatry but is being less performed in some countries. Early career psychiatrists lack experience with ECT but are interested in training opportunities. Future actions are needed for the improvement of education and training in ECT.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 66 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 31st European Congress of Psychiatry , March 2023 , pp. S1018 - S1019
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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