Rapid treatment center for depression in China: constructive reflections and transnational implications

Zhanming Shi¹Xingbing Huang²Yanling Zhou²Yuping Ning²Gabor Ungvari³Yu-Tao Xiang^4*Wei Zheng^2*

• ¹chongqing jiangbei second hospital, Chongqing, China
• ²Guangzhou Brain Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
• ³University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, Australia
• ⁴Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, Shanghai Municipality, China

Enhancing the early diagnosis and standardized treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), as advocated by the National Health Commission of China, is a key priority in the mental health initiatives of the nation. To achieve this, numerous evidence-based rapid treatment centers for MDD have been established or are currently under development across the country. These centers focus on the following primary treatment modalities for depression: electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), intravenous ketamine/esketamine, esketamine nasal spray, magnetic seizure therapy (MST), and Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT). This policy and practice review explored the application and modification of these techniques in treating depression in China, addressing their strengths and shortcomings. With particular focus on China’s rapid antidepressant treatment strategies (e.g., ECT, intravenous ketamine/esketamine, esketamine nasal spray, MST, SNT), the current policy and practice review described their potential to speed up recovery thereby providing valuable insights for other countries and regions.