George Kirov
@GeorgeKirov1
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Professor of Genetics, Psychiatrist, when not skiing or kayaking. Author of Shocked and Waves of Hope: books of stories about ECT.
Cardiff University
Joined December 2014
Our book on ECT is out. People who had ECT or their relatives came together to share their journeys through severe depression and ECT. I was amazed by their stories. @DrAnnieHickox @ProfRobHoward @JunHongLi56447 @Joshua_RSmith @jonathanstea @JacquesSloman @DrT_Gergel
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Tried using the new online @NHSEngland & @rcgp GP booking system? I have – and it was almost as miserable as my chest infection. @wesstreeting ’s plan to make booking easier made sense. Then I encountered an AI triagist, a stubborn receptionist and a Kafkaesque vicious circle
theguardian.com
Wes Streeting’s plan to make booking easier made sense. Then I encountered an AI triagist, a stubborn receptionist and a Kafkaesque vicious circle, says Guardian feature writer Simon Hattenstone
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You joking!
Trump to make all foreign tourists provide five years of social media history before entering US
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@_SharonThornton @GeorgeKirov1 @ProfRobHoward @BipolarUK @UCLPsychiatry @cardiffuni I promote ECT as an evidence-based & extremely effective treatment for the most severe/life-threatening manifestations of mood disorder & catatonia. I fully acknowledge side effects of auto-biographical memory loss. I have had multiple courses of ECT (see featured article).
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@GeorgeKirov1 @ProfRobHoward @wendyburn Anyone who has experienced post-partum psychosis or witnessed it firsthand will be very disturbed and saddened that any psychologist could demonstrate such a blatant lack of understanding of this complex, ravaging, and dangerous, illness.
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Postnatal psychosis is now called an "unusual reaction to giving birth". Welcome to the new classification of mental disorders. @ProfRobHoward @wendyburn
Your conceptualising some women’s (unusual) reactions to giving birth as “Medical” emergencies is one opinion. But it is not a fact George. One might equally view them as psycho-social crises. Trying to understand the meaning of the voices and/or unusual thoughts might help?
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Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) for Postpartum Psychosis: Treatment for a Medical Emergency | American Journal of Psychiatry https://t.co/GrdA74agIi "They should not be allowed to suffer or die because of practitioner reluctance to consider ECT."
psychiatryonline.org
PsychiatryOnline.org is the platform for all American Psychiatric Association Publishing journals, DSM, and bestselling textbooks, as well as APA Practice Guidelines, and continuing medical education.
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Post-partum psychosis should be considered a medical emergency. Things can really go wrong if treatment is delayed. ECT is highly effective and very fast-acting in these conditions. This is a must-read article for physicians and psychiatrists. Giving bad advice can have quick and
The only two treatments considered by prominent US psychiatrist for women experiencing psychosis after birth? Drugs and electricity. The ‘medical model’ at its extreme and most dangerous. Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) for Postpartum Psychosis:
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John seems unaware of the presentations of severe delusions and hallucinations and the suffering they can cause. This can explain his aversion to the treatments that can reduce these symptoms.
@DrNandiniC I wish reductionist, simplistic psychiatrists would stop announcing, as if fact, that some of our feelings, thoughts and actions are “symptoms” of some “illness” they have invented. It’s inaccurate, stigmatising, and creates pessimism. Stop it!
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Precisely why politicians with absolutely zero training or experience in public health should allow those with expertise to do their jobs. A screening program is a nice political soundbite. It’s also harmful when it’s not applied correctly. Let us do our jobs.
I am disappointed by today’s recommendation on prostate cancer screening from the National Committee. Targeted screening is a natural first step - but the recommendation today is far too targeted, not including black men or men with a family history, both high-risk groups.
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Survey Finds Most ECT Patients, who responded to a survey, Suffer Long-term Memory Loss | Psychology Today. Fixed it for you, otherwise it is misleading, (the sample is not representative, as you note in the papers).
Survey Finds Most ECT Patients Suffer Long-term Memory Loss | Psychology Today
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Frustrating that poor quality research on ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) gets so much press coverage. New research has many flaws, but The Guardian gave us a chance to present a more balanced and clinically informed /evidence-based view. https://t.co/RM70igqaig
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This is contrary to the evidence and further proof that the survery is unrepresentative (if one was needed). Regarding why more women have ECT, I will leave you to work it out. Regarding the sex of the ECT psychiatrists, you could try getting some reliable data instead.
4th paper from our survey. Women receive less benefit and suffer greater adverse effects, but are given it twice as often. 4 out of 5 ECT psychiatrists are men. Full article: Electroconvulsive therapy and women
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Now you are more open: "time to abolish psychiatry".
@Gingertail27 @Phuxlea @GeorgeKirov1 If ECT really was the “most efficacious treatment” psychiatry had it real would be time to abolish psychiatry No placebo studies since 1985. The ten before then provide no evidence of any benefit beyond end of treatment. “Most efficacious”?!
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Agnes, 78, from Leeds says she was just focused on getting home and having a nice cup of tea ❤️
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New paper. Examines suicide risk after psychiatric hospital detention/involuntary care. Neglected area. First nationwide study with more than 70,000 detained patients discharged from psychiatric hospital.
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An impressive amount of work, looking at several aspects of the problem. A reduction in mortality was also reported in our paper on the population of Wales, which didn't make it here: "HR for death for those who had ECT was significantly reduced at 0.81, p = 7.4 × 10−7.",
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective therapy for severe or treatment‐resistant depression. A common short‐term side effect is memory problems, and it is important to know whether ECT...
Important thread from Jesus on mortality and associated morbidity in depression. Bad news for those who cast shade on ECT and antidepressants - they both reduced mortality. Good news for treatment of depression.
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And including ECT. Very impressive and huge amount of work. Our recent paper on ECT and dementia didn't make it there in time, but it reports a very similar reduction in mortality after ECT.
Mortality in people with #depression: a large-scale systematic review and meta-analysis of relative risk and aggravating or attenuating factors, including antidepressant treatment. An important paper! What can we learn from it? 🧵🧠💭🤔1/8 https://t.co/TJENkrG4Xp
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Zohran Mamdani has been elected as New York City’s first Muslim mayor. He pledged to challenge the policies of President Donald Trump.
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@GeorgeKirov1 @ReadReadj @ProfRobHoward The basic trick: denying the physical, psychological and social burden of mental illness. Through this kind of denialism, psychiatric interventions are presented as unnecessary, cruel, inhumane.
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Just a reminder re the extensive evidence based for ECT. A hugely important treatment inc for severe depression & catatonia A critique of narrative reviews of the evidence-base for ECT in depression | Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences | Cambridge Core
cambridge.org
A critique of narrative reviews of the evidence-base for ECT in depression - Volume 31
But since there is no evidence it reduces depression better than placebo beyond the end of treatment you cant claim it cures the medical illnesses you say are caused by depression by curing depression.
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