Electroconvulsive Therapy in China

Abstract

The Chinese medical literature provides an important database that will help advance the practice of ECT in both China and the international community.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Patients and Their Relatives Toward Electroconvulsive Therapy in China

“…Around half of the patients and two thirds of relatives would consider consenting to ECT again. These results do not support the notion that there are strong negative attitudes toward ECT in China (McDonald & Walter, 2001;Tang et al, 2002;Tang et al, 2012). The hospital involved in this study is a leading psychiatric center in China and also a national clinical research center.…”

“…For example, ECT is sometimes viewed as a "punishment" for psychiatric patients (Chen, 2009;Zhang et al, 2001). The public's negative attitude toward ECT is mainly due to the distorted image of ECT in the mass media and popular movies (McDonald & Walter, 2001;Tang et al, 2012). Encouragingly, in this study, the majority of patients and their relatives had a positive attitude toward ECT.…”

“…It is estimated that China has the largest patient population receiving ECT in the world (Tang et al, 2012). Based on the data from international and local ECT manufacturers, there are approximately 400 ECT machines in use in China and around 150,000 ECT sessions are performed annually (Jiang, Ren, & Tang, 2011).…”

“…Examining the knowledge and attitudes of patients and their relatives toward ECT is important to improve the quality of clinical practice of ECT and help optimize its administration (Gazdag et al, 2013;Tang et al, 2012). Attitude surveys shed light on the gaps in knowledge and understanding about ECT, identifying targets for educating the public, patients, and their relatives (Tang, Ungvari, & Chan, 2002).…”

“…American and European studies revealed that patients and their families usually have a favorable attitude toward ECT (Freeman & Kendell, 1980;Taieb et al, 2001;Walter, Koster, & Rey, 1999). bs_bs_banner ECT practice is greatly influenced by a host of legal, social, and cultural factors (Gazdag et al, 2013;Tang et al, 2012), so findings from Western settings may not apply to other parts of the world with different sociocultural and ethnic contexts. To date, very few studies have examined patients and relatives' knowledge and attitude toward ECT in China.…”