Availability of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Public Health Services in the Last Decade in Brazil.

Objective: To identify the current treatment options for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) therapy in public services linked to the Unified Health System in Brazil and compare them with data published in 2012 based on their availability.

Methods: In this retrospective observational study, we mapped institutions that perform ECT under public health services in Brazil. A questionnaire was administered to active and inactive service centers between August 2022 and June 2023.

Home-Use Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for the Treatment of a Major Depressive Episode: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is moderately effective for depression when applied by trained staff. It is not known whether self-applied tDCS, combined or not with a digital psychological intervention, is also effective.

Objective: To determine whether fully unsupervised home-use tDCS, combined with a digital psychological intervention or digital placebo, is effective for a major depressive episode.

Magnetic Waves vs. Electric Shocks: A Non-Inferiority Study of Magnetic Seizure Therapy and Electroconvulsive Therapy in Treatment-Resistant Depression.

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD), characterized by the failure to achieve symptomatic remission despite multiple pharmacotherapeutic treatments, poses a significant challenge for clinicians. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective but limited option due to its cognitive side effects. In this context, magnetic seizure therapy (MST) has emerged as a promising alternative, offering comparable antidepressant efficacy with better cognitive outcomes.

Electroconvulsive therapy for treating patients with agitation and related behavioral disorders due to dementia: a systematic review.

Unlabelled: Behavioral disturbances are clinically relevant in patients with dementia, and pharmacological regimens to mitigate these symptoms have provided limited results. Proven to be effective in several psychiatric conditions, electroconvulsive therapy is a potentially beneficial strategy for treating severe agitation due to dementia.

Objective: This review aimed to examine the publications on the efficacy, safety and tolerability of electroconvulsive therapy in treating patients with agitation due to dementia.

A study protocol for an ongoing multi-arm, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial with digital features, using portable transcranial electrical stimulation and internet-based behavioral therapy for major depression disorders: The PSYLECT study.

Background: Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) is considered effective and safe for depression, albeit modestly, and prone to logistical burdens when performed in external facilities. Investigation of portable tES (ptES), and potentiation of ptES with remote psychological interventions have shown positive, but preliminary, results.

Research Design: We report the rationale and design of an ongoing multi-arm, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial with digital features, using ptES and internet-based behavioral therapy (iBT) for major depressive disorder (MDD) (NCT04889976).

Electroconvulsive Therapy in the Treatment of Catatonia Due To Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

The use of electroconvulsive therapy in case of catatonia due to systemic lupus erythematosus refractory in treatment with immunosuppressant is rare. Therefore, we report a case of catatonia due to systemic lupus erythematosus treated with electroconvulsive therapy as an adjuvant to cyclophosphamide treatment. A 34-year-old female patient diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus attended the rheumatology outpatient clinic with a history of catatonia for 8 weeks and laboratory tests revealed high titers of anti-ds DNA positive anti-RNP and polyclonal gammopathy.

Prevalence and risk factors of psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the ELSA-Brasil COVID-19 mental health cohort.

Background: There is mixed evidence on increasing rates of psychiatric disorders and symptoms during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. We evaluated pandemic-related psychopathology and psychiatry diagnoses and their determinants in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Health (ELSA-Brasil) São Paulo Research Center.

Methods: Between pre-pandemic ELSA-Brasil assessments in 2008-2010 (wave-1), 2012-2014 (wave-2), 2016-2018 (wave-3) and three pandemic assessments in 2020 (COVID-19 waves in May-July, July-September, and October-December), rates of common psychiatric symptoms, and depressive, anxiety, and common mental disorders (CMDs) were compared using the Clinical Interview Scheduled-Revised (CIS-R) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21).

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the management of epilepsy: A systematic review.

Purpose: Current therapies for the management of epilepsy are still suboptimal for several patients due to inefficacy, major adverse events, and unavailability. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), an emergent non-invasive neuromodulation technique, has been tested in epilepsy samples over the past two decades to reduce either seizure frequency or electroencephalogram (EEG) epileptiform discharges.

Methods: A systematic review was performed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO record CRD42020160292).

Immunization stress-related responses presenting as psychogenic non-epileptic seizures following HPV vaccination in Rio Branco, Brazil.

Importance: The absence of a positive diagnosis of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) in immunization stress-related response (ISRR) clusters may have not only a direct impact on affected patients' health but may also reduce compliance to national vaccination programs. It is therefore crucial to develop efficient diagnostic tools and a feasible proposal for proper communication and treatment of ISRR.

Purpose: To explore the psychogenic nature of patients' convulsive seizures in a suspected outbreak of an ISRR cluster following human papillomavirus vaccination in Rio Branco, Brazil.

Ictal SPECT in Psychogenic Nonepileptic and Epileptic Seizures.

Background: Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are a common and debilitating problem in patients with epilepsy. They can be virtually indistinguishable from epileptic seizures, demanding video-electroencaphalogram monitoring, which is costly and not widely available, for differential diagnosis. Specific functional brain correlates of PNES have not been demonstrated so far.

Epilepsy in patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of epilepsy in patients who presented psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES). The evaluation was carried out during intensive VEEG monitoring in a diagnostic center for epilepsy in a university hospital. The difficulties involved in reaching this diagnosis are discussed.

Evaluating patients with suspected nonepileptic psychogenic seizures.

The authors evaluate 26 patients with suspected psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) who were referred to prolonged intensive video EEG (VEEG) in an epilepsy diagnostic center at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Following the investigative protocol, 50% of the patients received a diagnosis of PNES, 15.4% of epilepsy, and 34.

Psychiatric diagnoses of patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.

Objective: Our purpose was to present and discuss the psychiatric diagnoses of patients who presented psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) during video-electroencephalographic monitoring (VEEG).

Methods: Out of 98 patients, a total of 28 patients presented PNES during the diagnostic procedure. In those cases in which the PNES that occurred during VEEG were validated by clinical history (clinical validation), and by showing the recorded event on video to an observer close to the patient (observer validation), was defined psychogenic non-epileptic seizure disorder (PNESD).

[Epidemiologic aspects and relevance of mental disorders associated with epilepsy].

Epilepsy is the most common serious neurological disorder. Worldwide, around 50 million people have epilepsy, 40 million of which in developing countries. Though epilepsy is predominantly treatable, most patients in these countries remain without treatment.

Attitudes of Brazilian psychiatrists toward people with epilepsy.

The purpose of this survey was to evaluate the experience of Brazilian psychiatrists in treatment, formal training, attitudes, and knowledge with respect to epilepsy (and associated mental disorders). One hundred fifty-seven Brazilian psychiatrists completed a specially developed questionnaire. Most (95%) had previously treated patients with epilepsy and mental disorders.