Since it’s inception over 80 years ago, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been the gold standard of treatment for catatonia, psychotic depression, and treatment resistant depression, as well as a non-pharmacologic option for other psychiatric illnesses and syndromes. This presentation will be an evidence-based review of all aspects of ECT, including the history, indications, efficacy, side effects, procedural details and advances, maintenance treatment, myths surrounding treatment, and possible mechanisms of actions. By the end of this webinar, you should understand when referral for ECT is appropriate and be up to date on the recent advances in this life-saving treatment. 

Format

Recorded webinar, non-interactive, self-paced distance learning activity with post-test.

This presentation was recorded on June 25, 2021.

Learning Objectives

• Be readily able to identify a patient who is appropriate for ECT treatment.  
• Describe different techniques to decrease the cognitive side effects of ECT.  
• Summarize options for maintaining ECT response. 

Target Audience

Nurse/Nurse Practitioner, Peer Specialist/Peer Support, Physician (Non-psychiatrist), Psychologist, Psychiatrist 

Instructional Level

Introductory; Intermediate 

Estimate Time to Complete

Estimated Duration: 1.0 hour 
Program Start Date: June 28, 2021  
Program End Date: June 28, 2023

Ongoing Interdisciplinary Discussion Board

If there are any topics covered in this webinar that you would like to discuss with colleagues in the mental health field, post a question or comment on SMI Adviser’s Webinar Roundtable Topics discussion board (https://smiadviser.org/discussion). This is an easy way to network and share ideas with other clinicians who participate in this webinar.

How to Earn Credit

Participants who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, CE credit for psychologists, CE credit for social workers, nursing continuing professional development pharmacology contact hours (NCPD, formerly CNE), or a certificate of participation may do so by completing all sections of the course, including viewing the full video and submitting an evaluation. A multiple-choice quiz is provided based on the content. A passing score of 75% must be achieved. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians), CE certificate (psychologists), CE certificate (social workers), NCPD (nurses), or certificate of participation (other disciplines) showing the completion date and hours/credits earned.

Continuing Education Credit

Physicians

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The APA designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses/Nurse Practitioners

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is accredited with distinction as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Faculty and Planner Disclosures

All financial relationships relevant to this activity have been mitigated.

Instructor

• John B. Roseman, MD, has interests spanning a broad range, with expertise in bioinformatics, medical education, and neurotherapeutics, particularly electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). As the associate director of the ECT Service at McLean Hospital, Dr. Roseman shares oversight of the busiest ECT service in the country (more than 10,000 ECT treatments per year).  He is also McLean’s Director of Medical Student Education for Harvard Medical School, helping train medical students at the hospital. As the psychiatry clinical content lead for Partners eCare since 2013, he has helped lead the integration of the Epic electronic health record into inpatient and outpatient psychiatry across Partners, with an ongoing focus on McLean’s optimization of the Epic system. In clinical practice, Dr. Roseman focuses on ECT treatment of severe depression, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, and agitation in dementia, while also maintaining a psychodynamically oriented outpatient practice. Dr. Roseman reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.  

Planners

• Teri Brister, PhD, LPC, National Alliance on Mental Illness. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. 
• Tristan Gorrindo, MD, American Psychiatric Association. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. 
• Donna Rolin, PhD, APRN, University of Texas at Austin. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.  

• Donna Rolin, PhD, APRN, University of Texas at Austin. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. (Reviewed on 6/4/2023)

Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities

The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance.

Technical Requirements

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:

• The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
• Internet Explorer 11+

This website requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be:  Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.

Optimal System Configuration:

• Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
• Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content

For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact SMIadviserhelp@psych.org for technical assistance