Journal of Affective Disorders Reports最新文献

{"title":"Deliberate heat exposure for depressive disorders: A systematic review & meta-analysis","authors":"Aaron M. Rubanowitz ,&nbsp;Brendan E. Hines ,&nbsp;Varun Shravah ,&nbsp;Mike Almasri ,&nbsp;Elaina J. Vitale ,&nbsp;Tyler Owen ,&nbsp;Stephen L. Aita ,&nbsp;Nicholas C. Borgogna ,&nbsp;Nikhil Teja","doi":"10.1016/j.jadr.2026.101024","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jadr.2026.101024","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Depressive disorders affect approximately 280 million people worldwide and are associated with significant morbidity. Current treatments, including psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, have limitations in efficacy and tolerability. Deliberate heat exposure (DHE) refers to the controlled exposure to heat through instruments such as saunas, steam showers, or hot baths. DHE has emerged as a potential novel intervention for depressive symptoms. Despite this, no synthesis of the empirical evidence exists.</div></div><div><h3>Aims</h3><div>We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating DHE’s effects on depressive symptoms.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>A systematic search strategy was applied to databases (MEDLINE, Scopus, PsycArticles, Cochrane Library) to identify RCTs of DHE for depression published between 1980 and 2025. DHE interventions encompassed infrared whole-body hyperthermia devices, far-infrared ray dry saunas, hyperthermic baths, and balneotherapy. The primary outcome was change in depressive symptoms measured by validated scales. Extracted effects from included studies were pooled using Hedges’ <em>g</em>. Analyses were conducted using the random effects model. Cochrane’s Risk of Bias 2.0 tool was used to assess each RCT’s risk of bias.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Seven studies involving 363 participants were included. Random-effects meta-analysis revealed a small but statistically significant effect of DHE in reducing depressive symptoms (Hedges' <em>g</em> = 0.32; 95% CI, 0.12-0.52). Effect sizes ranged from 0.08 to 0.77 across studies. DHE showed greater efficacy when compared to passive controls (<em>g</em> = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.04-1.03) than active controls (<em>g</em> = 0.28; 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.49). Some studies reported rapid onset of improvement within two weeks. DHE was also associated with improvements in sleep quality, pain, and fatigue.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>DHE demonstrates a small but significant effect in reducing depressive symptoms. Methodological limitations include small sample sizes and intervention heterogeneity, which necessitates larger more rigorous trials to determine a more definitive clinical role for DHE in depression management and determine optimal DHE protocols. While methodological limitations necessitate larger trials to establish definitive protocols, these consistent findings, combined with strong biological plausibility and apparent safety profile, may inform discussions between clinicians and selected patients seeking experimental non-pharmacological approaches.</div><div>PROSPERO registration (CRD42023471821)</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Affective Disorders Reports","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101024"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145976081","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identifying structural linguistic markers of depression in written text: A narrative review of language analysis methods","authors":"Clara Khuon ,&nbsp;Gabriel Tillman ,&nbsp;George Van Doorn ,&nbsp;Jacob Dye ,&nbsp;Kimberley A. McFarlane ,&nbsp;Bridianne O’Dea ,&nbsp;Taylor A. Braund","doi":"10.1016/j.jadr.2026.101022","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jadr.2026.101022","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The study of ‘linguistic markers’ has gained prominence as a method of exploring how depressive symptoms are reflected in language use. In the context of depression, existing research has predominantly focused on perspectives of analysis related to language meaning and thematic content (e.g., semantics). In contrast, techniques that examine the underlying structure and grammatical composition of language (e.g., syntax) remain a novel application for identifying text-based markers of depression. Digital phenotyping enables the efficient collection of written text samples through digital, remote, and low-cost methodologies, making written language a practical and scalable target for research. Coinciding with advancements of natural language processing, this creates the timely opportunity to conduct the automated analysis of text samples. As such, this paper provides an overview of language analysis techniques for the examination of linguistic markers of depression. In particular, we focus on perspectives of structural language analysis, highlighting syntactic complexity and referential cohesion as potential markers, and the insight these features may provide into the linguistic manifestations of depressive symptoms. We discuss the clinical translation of content-based markers of depression through digital phenotyping and just-in-time adaptive interventions, and the potential benefit of incorporating structure-based markers of language. Finally, we discuss automated language analysis tools for their use in clinical and research settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Affective Disorders Reports","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101022"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145976132","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Risk factors for repeated suicide attempts and self-harm among suicide attempters admitted to emergency departments: A secondary analysis of the ACTION-J study","authors":"Yoshitaka Kawashima ,&nbsp;Naohiro Yonemoto ,&nbsp;Ryuichiro Narishige ,&nbsp;Yasushi Otaka ,&nbsp;Takao Ito ,&nbsp;Hisako Yamada ,&nbsp;Yoshio Hirayasu ,&nbsp;Chiaki Kawanishi","doi":"10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Treating patients with repeated suicide attempts and/or self-harm episodes is an important issue. The aim of the present study was to investigate the risk factors for the number of repeated suicide attempts and overall self-harm episodes among patients admitted to emergency departments because of an index suicide attempt.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study was a secondary analysis of randomized controlled trials in Japan. The participants were adult patients who were admitted to emergency departments for a suicide attempt and had a DSM-IV-TR axis I disorder. Outcomes were the number of repeated suicide attempt episodes, and the number of repeated overall self-harm episodes per person-year. Multivariate Poisson analysis was conducted by sex.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>914 patients were analyzed. The multivariate analysis in men for the number of repeated overall self-harm episodes revealed significant associations with age, substance-related disorder, drinking alcohol, and visiting a psychiatrist. In women, age, psychiatric disorder, drinking alcohol, visiting a psychiatrist, education, employment, being married, living with partner or family, previous suicide attempts, and drug overdose involving admission to an emergency department were identified as significant factors.</div></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><div>Patients who self-harmed but were not admitted to an emergency department, and patients under 20 years old were excluded.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>A common risk factor for both repeated suicide attempts and repeated overall self-harm in both men and women was visiting a psychiatrist within 1 month or within &gt;3 months before the index suicide attempt. The role of psychiatric medical institutions in preventing repeat suicide attempts is considered to be important.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Affective Disorders Reports","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101003"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The mediating role of illness perception in the association between psychological distress and symptom reporting in early-stage multiple sclerosis patients","authors":"Florencia Elena Saposnik ,&nbsp;Jorge Maurino ,&nbsp;Susana Sainz de la Maza ,&nbsp;Angela Kwan ,&nbsp;Tamara Castillo-Triviño ,&nbsp;Rocío Gómez-Ballesteros","doi":"10.1016/j.jadr.2026.101023","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jadr.2026.101023","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To assess the association between psychological distress and self-reported multiple sclerosis (MS) symptom severity, and to determine whether illness perceptions mediates this relationship in patients recently diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a multicenter, non-interventional study including RRMS adult patients (disease duration of ≤18 months) residing in Spain. Participants completed self-reported measures on demographics, MS symptoms (SyMS), mental health (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS), and perceptions of their RRMS (Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, B-IPQ).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 189 participants were included [mean age (SD) of 36.6 (9.4) years and 70.6% female]. Linear regression analysis revealed a significant relationship between HADS and SyMS (<em>β =</em> 0.661, 95%CI: 0.77,1.07; <em>p</em>&lt;.001). The mediation analysis revealed that illness perception significantly and partially mediated the relationship between HADS and SyMS <strong>(</strong><em>β</em> <strong>= 0.138, <em>p</em>&lt;.001, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.20). These findings remained consistent following the adjustment for other clinical and radiological measures.</strong></div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Psychological distress and a more negative illness perception are primary factors associated with greater self-reported MS symptom burden in recently diagnosed RRMS patients. Interventions targeting illness perception may help mitigate the impact of psychological distress on patient-reported MS outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Affective Disorders Reports","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101023"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145976080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Group schema therapy in non-responding patients with common mental disorders: a pilot study","authors":"Eline Eigenhuis ,&nbsp;Karin Remmerswaal ,&nbsp;Simone Schopman ,&nbsp;Anna D.T. Muntingh ,&nbsp;Rosa E. Boeschoten ,&nbsp;Patricia van Oppen ,&nbsp;Neeltje M. Batelaan","doi":"10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Common mental disorders such as anxiety, depressive, and somatoform disorders often have a chronic course, with a substantial proportion of patients not responding adequately to standard treatments. Dysfunctional personality traits appear to contribute to treatment resistance. Schema therapy (ST) targets early maladaptive schemas and has proven effective for personality disorders. This pilot study examines the feasibility and outcome of group ST for non-responding patients with common mental disorders.</div></div><div><h3>Material and methods</h3><div>Seventy-nine outpatients with anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, depression, or somatoform disorders who had not responded sufficiently to prior treatment, participated in this study. A six-week ST introduction group was offered, followed by a diagnosis-specific ST group for up to 30 weeks. Feasibility was assessed through dropout rates and the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8). Clinical outcomes were measured using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0), before and after treatment and at three month follow up.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Dropout rates were moderate, and participant satisfaction was high, indicating strong acceptability and engagement. Significant improvements were observed in anxiety, depression, and disability, with benefits persisting at 3 months after treatment.</div></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><div>The non-controlled design limits causal conclusions. Also, mechanisms of change remain unclear. Although controlled for, high rates of missing data weaken the robustness of findings.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These findings suggest that group-ST may be a feasible and potentially effective treatment for non-responding patients and are consistent with prior evidence indicating that schema therapy could have broader applicability beyond personality disorders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Affective Disorders Reports","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101013"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Developing and evaluating a questionnaire to assess personal recovery experiences in older people with bipolar disorder","authors":"Jennifer Matthewson ,&nbsp;Steven Jones ,&nbsp;Gillian Haddock ,&nbsp;Elizabeth Tyler","doi":"10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Despite evidence that the mental health experiences of older adults are qualitatively different to those of younger adults, little research has investigated the recovery preferences of people aged 60 years and over (Chen et al., 2027). This paper presents the first measure of personal recovery developed specifically for older adults with bipolar disorder (BD).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Collaboration with older adults who had lived experience of BD, clinicians and academics supported the development of the Bipolar Recovery Questionnaire for Older Adults (BRQ-OA). A total of 55 participants aged 60+ (mean=66.98, SD=8.19) with a diagnosis of BD completed the BRQ-OA alongside symptom and quality of life measures. The BRQ-OA was completed again four weeks later. It was hypothesised that the BRQ-OA would be a reliable and valid measure of personal recovery.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The BRQ-OA had good internal consistency, and scores were reliable over a 4-week period. Scores on the BRQ-OA were significantly associated with lower depression and mania scores and higher scores on quality of life and functioning measures.</div></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><div>Small sample size restricted understanding of factors underlying the BRQ-OA. Participants were primarily White British with high levels of education, therefore generalisability to other groups is unclear.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Findings indicate the BRQ-OA is a reliable and valid measure of personal recovery for older adults with BD. Scores are significantly associated with factors commonly defined as part of personal recovery. This is the first mental health measure designed with and for older adults to support the use of recovery-focused approaches in clinical practice and research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Affective Disorders Reports","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101005"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to “Machine learning prediction of psychological resilience: An analysis of health and self-perception variables” [Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, Volume 23 (January 2026) 1-9 101000]","authors":"Javier Díaz Esteban-Herreros ,&nbsp;Miriam Garrido-Miguel ,&nbsp;Vicente Martínez-Vizcaíno ,&nbsp;Ana Isabel Torres-Costoso ,&nbsp;Asunción Ferri-Morales ,&nbsp;Igor Cigarroa ,&nbsp;Juan Moreno-García ,&nbsp;Elizabeth Bravo-Esteban","doi":"10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101015","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101015","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":52768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Affective Disorders Reports","volume":"23 ","pages":"Article 101015"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146073717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A pilot study of brain correlates of long-term treatment with transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation in posttraumatic stress disorder","authors":"J. Douglas Bremner ,&nbsp;Matthew T. Wittbrodt ,&nbsp;Nil Z. Gurel ,&nbsp;Jonathon A. Nye ,&nbsp;Md Mobashir H. Shandhi ,&nbsp;Asim H. Gazi ,&nbsp;Amit J. Shah ,&nbsp;Victoria Amorim ,&nbsp;Bradley D. Pearce ,&nbsp;Viola Vaccarino ,&nbsp;Omer T. Inan","doi":"10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a highly prevalent condition, and current treatments have limitations. Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS) is a new approach that potentially has promise for PTSD. Understanding the neurobiology of treatment response is important for developing new treatments. The purpose of this study was to assess neural correlations of long-term transcutaneous cervical VNS (tcVNS) in patients with PTSD.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Patients with PTSD underwent randomization to active tcVNS (<em>N</em> = 6) or sham stimulation (<em>N</em> = 5) twice daily for three months. High-Resolution Positron Emission Tomography scanning with radiolabeled water was used to measure brain blood flow measurements before and after treatment during exposure to personalized traumatic scripts paired with active or sham stimulation.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Three months of active tcVNS resulted in activation in response to traumatic scripts in the sham stimulation group not seen in the tcVNS group in brain areas mediating the fear response, including posterior cingulate, thalamus, temporal and parietal cortex, and parahippocampal gyrus, with an increase in medial prefrontal cortex with tcVNS, in patients with PTSD.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>TcVNS affects brain areas mediating fear and emotion which may underlie a therapeutic effect for PTSD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Affective Disorders Reports","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 101014"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146079988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mental health in adults aged 50+ since the COVID-19 pandemic: Are we (all) back to ‘normal’? evidence from England","authors":"Darío Moreno-Agostino ,&nbsp;Giorgio Di Gessa","doi":"10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To understand how population mental health levels and inequalities in these are in the post-lockdown world compared to before the pandemic in adults aged 50 and older.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We used data from three Waves (2016–2017, <em>n</em> = 7191; 2018–2019, <em>n</em> = 7286; and 2021–2023, <em>n</em> = 6249) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Using linear and modified Poisson regression models, we investigated whether prevalence of high depressive symptomatology, anxiety, and loneliness, and quality-of-life levels changed across time points overall and by gender, living situation, and wealth quintiles. Models were adjusted for age group, gender, education, and long-standing illnesses.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>No significant differences were found between 2016–2017 and 2018–2019. However, compared to 2018–2019, prevalence of high depressive symptoms (RR_2021–2023 = 1.23[95 %CI 1.12;1.34], <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001), loneliness (RR_2021–2023 = 1.32[1.22;1.42], <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) and quality-of-life levels (B_2021–2023 = -1.84 [-2.21;-1.48], <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) were worse by 2021–2023. Pre-existing inequalities by gender, living arrangements, and wealth were not significantly different after the pandemic, except for depression, where gaps were significantly smaller by gender (RR_{2021–2023*women} = 0.72[0.59;0.89], <em>p</em> = 0.002) and, to a smaller extent, living situation (RR_{2021–2023*not_alone}=1.22[1.02;1.47], <em>p</em> = 0.026).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Population mental health levels in the population aged 50 and older seem to have declined after the pandemic, and inequalities within the population persist.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Affective Disorders Reports","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 101012"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146039595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The self-reported positive and negative effects of electroconvulsive therapy: an international survey","authors":"John Read ,&nbsp;Sue Cunliffe ,&nbsp;Sarah Hancock ,&nbsp;Christopher Harrop ,&nbsp;Lucy Johnstone ,&nbsp;Lisa Morrison","doi":"10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jadr.2025.101008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>When assessing the efficacy and safety of any medical procedure the experiences of patients need to be considered. This paper adds to the growing body of studies asking recipients of electroconvulsive therapy about their treatment experiences.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Open questions about the positive and negative effects of ECT, in an online international survey, were responded to by 776 ECT recipients, from 41 countries.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>About half (48.8 %) spontaneously reported one or more positive effects and almost all (96.9 %) spontaneously reported one or more negative effects. About half (51.2 %) reported only negative effects, 45.6 % reported a mixture of positive and negative effects and 3.2 % reported only positive outcomes. Content analysis found that the most reported positive effects were: ‘Improved Mood’ (23.2 %), ‘Reduced Suicidality’ (12.6 %) and ‘Reduced Psychosis’ (3.1 %). The most reported negative effects were: ‘Memory Loss’ (81.6 %), ‘Cognitive Decline’ (29.0 %), ‘Headache’ (11.1 %), ‘Abused/Violated/Traumatised’ (7.9 %), ‘Fear/Anxiety’ (6.8 %), ‘Impaired Relationships’ (5.4 %), ‘Brain Damage’ (5.0 %), ‘Can’t Work’ (4.9 %) and ‘Pain’ (4.9 %).</div></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><div>This convenience sample may have been biased towards those with negative or positive attitudes about ECT. Some of the negative and positive effects attributed to ECT may have been the result of other factors (such as illness and age, or placebo, respectively).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These results, in conjunction with previous studies, suggest the need for new, more robust, independent research into safety and efficacy. The safety component of such studies should probably include adverse effects beyond memory loss and cognitive decline.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":52768,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Affective Disorders Reports","volume":"24 ","pages":"Article 101008"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146080643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}