ReviewBJPsych open2026
Systematic review on relapse-prevention strategies following successful electroconvulsive therapy for major depressive disorder.
Review in BJPsych open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Psychoactive and Neurobiological Effects of Ketamine in Humans: A Scoping Review of Clinical Evidence.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Clinical Outcomes and Treatment Characteristics of Seizure Threshold-Titrated Electroconvulsive Therapy in Depressive Disorder: A 3.5-Year Retrospective Naturalistic Course-Level Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundElectroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is highly effective for major depressive disorder (MDD), but about 50% of patients relapse within 1 year. A comprehensive review of all potential relapse-prevention strategies is lacking.
aimsThis systematic review aimed to identify, summarise and critically evaluate the available evidence on pharmacological, neuromodulatory, psychological and combination strategies to prevent relapse following successful ECT for MDD.
methodA systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (PROSPERO: no. CRD42023392575). We searched PubMed, Embase, PsychInfo and Cochrane Library up to March 2025. Eligible studies included adults (>18 years) with unipolar MDD who responded to acute ECT and were followed for ≥3 months. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies and case series (over ten cases). Risk of bias and quality were assessed and a narrative synthesis conducted.
resultsA total of 28 studies (
conclusionsPharmacotherapy with lithium and, separately, C-ECT combined with medication, showed the strongest evidence for relapse prevention following ECT. The evidence base is limited by heterogeneity, small sample sizes and few studies on novel or psychological strategies. More robust clinical studies are needed to identify optimal long-term strategies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.