Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and Suicide Prevention

Opinion statement Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for reducing suicidal ideation and intent in acutely depressed patients with mood and psychotic disorders. Modern ECT and anesthesia techniques have made contemporary ECT much safer and better tolerated than in the past. Patients with severe depression who are suicidal should be offered ECT as a treatment option early in the course of their illness. The reluctance to prescribe ECT, a result of unfamiliarity with, and prejudice against it, is likely responsible for preventable deaths by suicide, as well as prolongation of suffering from depressive illness. Additional epidemiological studies are urgently needed to provide accurate data about the role of ECT in reducing suicide rates