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Objective: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective treatment for patients with severe major depressive disorder (MDD). Given the known sex differences in MDD, improved knowledge may provide more sex-specific recommendations in clinical guidelines and improve outcome. In the present study we examine sex differences in ECT outcome and its predictors., Methods: Clinical data from 20 independent sites participating in the Global ECT-MRI Research Collaboration (GEMRIC) were obtained for analysis, totaling 500 patients with MDD (58.6 % women) with a mean age of 54.8 years. Severity of depression before and after ECT was assessed with validated depression scales. Remission was defined as a HAM-D score of 7 points or below after ECT. Variables associated with remission were selected based on literature (i.e. depression severity at baseline, age, duration of index episode, and presence of psychotic symptoms)., Results: Remission rates of ECT were independent of sex, 48.0 % in women and 45.7 % in men (X 2 (1) = 0.2, p = 0.70). In the logistic regression analyses, a shorter index duration was identified as a sex-specific predictor for ECT outcome in women (X 2 (1) = 7.05, p = 0.01). The corresponding predictive margins did show overlapping confidence intervals for men and women., Conclusion: The evidence provided by our study suggests that ECT as a biological treatment for MDD is equally effective in women and men. A shorter duration of index episode was an additional sex- specific predictor for remission in women. Future research should establish whether the confidence intervals for the corresponding predictive margins are overlapping, as we find, or not., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest R.R. received funding from Innovative Medical Research [RE111722 to RR] and German Research Foundation (DFG, grant RE4458/1-1 to RR). U.D. received funding from German Research Foundation #8 FOR2107 DA1151/5-1 and DA1151/5-2 to UD. L.O. received funding from Western Norway Regional Health Authority Grant Nos. 911986 and 912238. A.K. Aki is supported by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) under Grant Number JP21dm0307102h0003. L.E. received the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) grant G0C0319N, KU Leuven Research Fund C24/18/095 and the Sequoia Fund for Research on Ageing and Mental Health. P.P. received MH125126 and MH111826. M.K. received a lecture fee by Innomed Medizintechnik in 2017 & 2018 GW received funding from the Brain Foundation of the Netherlands (Hersenstichting). There are no further conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

We report the case of a 70-year-old man with Segawa syndrome who achieved full remission in three episodes of psychotic depression following electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). As maintenance drug therapy was unable to prevent relapse, maintenance ECT seemed necessary. Segawa syndrome is a rare metabolic disorder characterized by dystonia and possibly psychiatric symptoms. We highlight the psychiatric vulnerability of patients with Segawa syndrome and point out some considerations in treating comorbid psychiatric disorders.

Objectives: The presence of psychotic symptoms is an important predictor of responsiveness to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This study investigates whether a continuous severity measure, the Psychotic Depression Assessment Scale (PDAS), is a more accurate predictor., Methods: Depression severity was assessed before and after the ECT course using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) in 31 patients with psychotic depression and 34 depressed patients without psychotic symptoms. Logistic regression models for MADRS response and remission were fitted, with either the PDAS total score or the dichotomous predictors "absence/presence of psychotic symptoms" as the independent variables. Age, episode duration, and treatment resistance were added as covariates., Results: Both the asserted presence of psychotic symptoms and a higher PDAS total score reflected MADRS response (areas under the curve, 0.83 and 0.85, respectively), with MADRS remission also being predicted by the presence of psychotic symptoms and higher PDAS scores (areas under the curves, 0.86 and 0.84, respectively). Age was a contributor to these prediction models, with response and remission rates being highest in the older patients. Psychotic Depression Assessment Scale scores decreased significantly during ECT: at end point, 81.5% of the patients showed significant response and 63.9% had achieved remission., Conclusions: The PDAS indeed accurately predicts response to and remission after ECT in (psychotic) depression and most pronouncedly so in older patients but seems to have no clear advantage over simply verifying the presence of psychotic symptoms. This could be the consequence of a ceiling effect, as ECT was extremely effective in patients with psychotic depression.ClinicalTrials.gov: Identifier: NCT02562846.

Objectives: According to a recent study, ratings on the Psychotic Depression Assessment Scale (PDAS) obtained via a dedicated semi-structured interview are valid measures of the severity of psychotic depression. This study aimed to further test the validity, scalability and responsiveness of the PDAS in older adults using independent ratings on the Clinical Global Impression Scale - Severity (CGI-S) and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) as references., Methods: Ratings were performed at admission and discharge at two old age psychiatric wards in Flanders, Belgium. In total, 62 older adults (mean age: 74.3 years) with psychotic depression were included. The PDAS was rated by trained nurses using the semi-structured PDAS interview. Senior psychiatrists scored the participants on the CGI-S. Psychologists or experienced nurses rated participants on the MADRS. Clinical validity was assessed by correlating the PDAS total scores with CGI-S ratings and MADRS total scores. Mokken analysis was performed to assess the scalability of the PDAS. Responsiveness was assessed by comparing the proportion of participants in remission (PDAS total score <8 at study baseline and endpoint)., Results: The Spearman correlation coefficients were 0.76 and 0.79 for the PDAS versus CGI-S and PDAS versus MADRS, respectively. The Mokken analysis yielded a Loevinger coefficient of 0.46, which is indicative of scalability. At admission, no participants met the PDAS remission criterion. At discharge, 54% (95% confidence interval: 47%-60%) of the patients met this criterion., Conclusion: The PDAS appears to be a clinically valid, scalable and responsive measure of the severity of psychotic depression in older adults.

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered to be the most effective treatment in severe major depression. The identification of reliable predictors of ECT response could contribute to a more targeted patient selection and consequently increased ECT response rates. Aims To investigate the predictive value of age, depression severity, psychotic and melancholic features for ECT response and remission in major depression., Method: A meta-analysis was conducted according to the PRISMA statement. A literature search identified recent studies that reported on at least one of the potential predictors., Results: Of the 2193 articles screened, 34 have been included for meta-analysis. Presence of psychotic features is a predictor of ECT remission (odds ratio (OR) = 1.47, P = 0.001) and response (OR = 1.69, P < 0.001), as is older age (standardised mean difference (SMD) = 0.26 for remission and 0.35 for response (P < 0.001)). The severity of depression predicts response (SMD = 0.19, P = 0.001), but not remission. Data on melancholic symptoms were inconclusive., Conclusions: ECT is particularly effective in patients with depression with psychotic features and in elderly people with depression. More research on both biological and clinical predictors is needed to further evaluate the position of ECT in treatment protocols for major depression. Declaration of interest None.