 |
Medical Industry FeatureAuthor: ReachMD
Medical Industry Feature highlights topics brought to you by makers of products and services in the medical industry. Language: en Genres: Health & Fitness, Medicine, Science Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
The Positive Impact of Electroconvulsive Therapy for Severe Psychiatric Illness
Sunday, 23 August, 2026
Guest: Leonardo Lopez, M.D. On this episode of Advances in Care, Erin Welsh is joined by Dr. Leonardo Lopez, a psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian and vice chair for inpatient services in the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Lopez and his team are at the forefront of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and have built one of the largest programs of its kind in the country dedicated to treating severe psychiatric illness through this revolutionary method. Though it is one of the most effective therapies available for certain psychiatric conditions like treatment resistant depression and schizophrenia, ECT isn’t widely adopted or accessible. However, Dr. Lopez hopes to change that. In the episode, he describes the history of this treatment, how it has evolved since its inception to become one of the safest procedures done under general anesthesia, and the dramatic response rates. ECT works by restructuring neurotransmitter release and promoting neuronal growth. Patients with conditions like psychotic depression and catatonia can sometimes see upwards of 90-95% response rates. To illustrate the power of ECT, Dr. Lopez shares the story of a pediatric patient who was referred to his team after being diagnosed with catatonia caused by another condition. Although the other condition was treated, the …
