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A Novel Refractory Mood Disorders and Electroconvulsive Therapy Elective for Medical Students: Fighting Stigma through Experience

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Abstract

Treatment resistant mood disorders (TRMD) have a significant impact on patients and society. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been shown to be effective for treatment resistant depression (TRD). Despite the effectiveness and safety of ECT, there remains significant stigma surrounding its use. Studies worldwide have shown that many medical students receive their knowledge from the media, which often portrays ECT in a negative light, and very few have exposure to ECT prior to their psychiatric clinical rotations. In this article we highlight the importance of medical education and introduce a novel approach in helping to fight the stigma of ECT through educational intervention for medical trainees that combines active, longitudinal and theoretical learning. By ensuring that trainees have a robust education in this arena, we can help them educate patients about treatment options, improve confidence in prescribing and administering these therapies, and ultimately improve patient and societal outcomes.

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Funding

There were no funding sources for this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, 6431 Fannin St, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Bernice N. Yau, Carola Rong, J. Chase Findley & Salih Selek

Authors
  1. Bernice N. Yau
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  2. Carola Rong
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  3. J. Chase Findley
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  4. Salih Selek
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Salih Selek.

Ethics declarations

This Educational Case Report was written to describe a curriculum and was not designed to be a research study. The authors consulted with the UTHealth Institutional Review Board on this project. It was determined that this project did not meet human subjects research criteria and did not need to undergo an IRB approval process.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there are no conflicts of interest.

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Yau, B.N., Rong, C., Findley, J.C. et al. A Novel Refractory Mood Disorders and Electroconvulsive Therapy Elective for Medical Students: Fighting Stigma through Experience. Psychiatr Q 92, 1541–1548 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-021-09929-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-021-09929-4

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