Electroconvulsive Therapy and Global Policy: Why Science Must Guide Mental Health Care
When Policy and Science Diverge Global mental health policy plays a critical role in shaping access to care. However, when policy recommendations diverge from scientific evidence, the consequences can be profound—especially for patients with severe psychiatric illness. A recent joint…
Neurosurgery for Psychiatric Disorders: Reassessing the Risk of Cognitive Side Effects
Challenging a Long-Standing Barrier in Psychiatry For decades, one of the most persistent barriers to the use of neurosurgical interventions in psychiatry has been the concern over neuropsychological side effects (NPSE). These concerns are deeply rooted in the history of…
Personalizing Electroconvulsive Therapy: How Brain Structure Shapes Seizures and Outcomes
Rethinking One of Psychiatry’s Most Effective Treatments Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains one of the most effective treatments for severe and treatment-resistant depression. Yet, a fundamental question has persisted for decades: 👉 Why do therapeutic seizures work—and why do they work…
CMS NTAP and APC Designation for SAINT® TMS: A Turning Point for Access in Interventional Psychiatry
A Major Milestone for Interventional Psychiatry The recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) decisions to grant both New Technology Add-on Payment (NTAP) and New Technology Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) designations for SAINT® (Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy) represent…
Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Difficult-to-Treat Depression: New Global Expert Guidance for Clinical Practice
Moving Beyond Treatment Resistance: A New Framework for Care Difficult-to-treat depression (DTD) represents one of the most complex challenges in modern psychiatry. These are patients who continue to experience significant symptoms despite multiple treatment attempts, including medications, psychotherapy, and neuromodulation…
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Treatment-Resistant Depression: Why Early Life Matters More Than We Think
When Depression Does Not Respond: Looking Back to Move Forward Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) remains one of the most challenging conditions in psychiatry. Despite multiple evidence-based treatments, many patients continue to experience persistent symptoms, functional impairment, and increased risk of suicidality….
Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Difficult-to-Treat Depression: New Expert Consensus on When and How to Use It
A New Era of Guidance for One of the Most Challenging Patient Populations Difficult-to-treat depression (DTD) represents one of the most complex and burdensome conditions in psychiatry. These are patients who continue to experience significant symptoms despite multiple evidence-based treatments,…
Resveratrol and Mental Health: Could a Natural Compound Support Psychiatric Treatment?
Interest in the relationship between nutrition and mental health has grown substantially in recent years. Increasing evidence suggests that certain dietary compounds may influence brain function and potentially play a role in the prevention or treatment of psychiatric disorders. A…
SAINT-TMS: A New Era of Accelerated Brain Stimulation for Severe Depression
Major depressive disorder remains one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, and for many patients, standard treatments—including antidepressant medications and traditional transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)—do not produce sufficient relief. In recent years, a novel approach known as SAINT-TMS (Stanford…
How Prenatal Stress Shapes the Brain: New Insights Into Early Origins of Psychiatric Vulnerability
A growing body of research suggests that the origins of many psychiatric disorders may begin far earlier than previously recognized—potentially even before birth. A recent study co-authored by researchers from UTHealth Houston and the University of Southern Santa Catarina provides…