ECT as an Effective Treatment for Self Harm

Still today it is not known why ECT works but it seems to cause changes in brain chemistry that can quickly reverse symptoms of certain mental illnesses. It is also said that the shock literally shocks the person out of their illness as it is regarded as a punishment for the inappropriate behaviour. Another explanation is that the associated memory loss following shock allows the person to start afresh. They literally ‘forget’ they were suffering from a mental illness. Created in +1934 by Hungarian neuropsychiatrist Ladislas Meduna, [11]. However, ECT was not introduced in England until 1939 when Lothar Kalinowsky, observed the treatment administered in Italy and decided to use it in England due to its promising results. During this time high doses of electricity were administered without anaesthesia and muscle relaxations. This lead to memory loss, fractured bones and other serious side effects, which lead to, much of the stigma attached to ECT, because of these early treatments [12]. ECT is a treatment that is still used today, however much less brutally than in the 1930s.

Patient informed consent refers to the situation where the patient is fully informed on the consequences of their health care decision after which the patient gives the decision. For there to be informed consent, there are five elements that must be discussed. The first is the nature of the patient's decision then the applicable alternatives to the proposed intervention. Third are the risks, benefits and uncertainties associated with each of the alternatives. Fourth is the assessment of the patient's understanding and last is the acceptance of the intervention or an alternative by the patient. Before the patient's consent is considered to be valid, the patient's competency to make the decision must be addressed. The criteria for evaluating the patient's competency is clearly stated in section 3 of the 2005 Mental Capacity Act which states that provided the person is able to understand, retain and use information provided and to communicate their decision in any way such as talking or sign language, they are competent to make a decision. If a patient is treated against their refusal to consent, it amounts to the tort of battery or can also be considered the crime of assault. In addition to this, laws that touch on human rights reinforce the importance of the protection of the physical integrity of the individual in terms of their right to respect of their private life. Therefore, refusal of medical treatment is a human right.

There are several ethical dilemmas that the mental health professionals that are working as a team will face including “ensuring that the client has given informed consent, maintaining client confidentiality, and involving professionals, paraprofessionals, and family in appropriate coordinated processes that benefit the client” (Paproski & Haverkamp, 2000, p.96).

One of the biggest argument concerning this case and others like it, is that these patients, considering their mental conditions, could not actually have given informed (i.e., sane) consent because the request itself is considered “wrong” by society’s standards.

It is also clear that while making these decisions, the decisions ought to be made based on informed consent (Werth and Crow 195). Sometime, the patient may be experiencing dementia, clinical depression or delirium for which they may be affecting the patient’s decision making capabilities (Werth and Crow 197, 198). If such a person is allowed to make their right-to-die decision, this may be done without the patient having comprehensive information before consent and thus should not be encouraged (Werth and Crow 198).

Extraordinary treatments can only be determined or administered with Rogers authority, and these include intrusive, limiting or risky treatments. One of these is the administration of antipsychotic medications. The court considers two factors before granting a Rogers guardianship. Not only must the person who needs the medication be determined unable to give informed consent, the court must also consider whether the person would choose the treatment if he or she had the

Dimond (2016), notes the right to refuse is a basic principle of law in the UK of which the court of appeal has emphasised that providing the patient has necessary mental capacity they can refuse to give consent for a good, bad or no reason at

When ECT “hit” the medical scene in the 40s and 50s, it was unsafe and gruesome (Dahl, 2008). Treatment was often performed while the patient was awake, and their convulsions were not controlled at all – they were often strong enough to break bones. ECT hit its peak in the 1960s when three tenths of a million US citizens underwent the therapy yearly (Dahl, 2008). At that point, however, it was still “absolutely a cruel procedure” (Dahl, 2008). It is still yet to recover from its ghastly past, the general public still thinks of ECT as how it was portrayed in One Flew Over the Coocoo's Nest, and more recently, Requiem for a Dream (Fitzgerald, 2011). A psychiatrist summed up the current status of ECT very well saying, “Quite frankly, the stigma pushes people away from it, and it pushes some psychiatrists away from even recommending ECT, but most of the stigma related to ECT really is related to misconception” (Dahl, 2008).

After researching electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), I have decided that if a close family member or even myself were severely depressed I would not support the use of ECT. Electroconvulsive therapy consists of an electrical shock, which is used to produce a seizure. Many people experience seizures due to some other type of illness or illnesses, and in these cases there is medicine taken in order to prevent these occurrences. In deciding my opinion on the topic of ECT I asked myself would I want to put myself or a loved one through what others are trying to avoid; a seizure. Although ECT has proven to be effective in some cases of depression, it has many risk factors involved and it does not ensure a lifetime with out the reoccurrence of

EPR consists of exposing the patient to situations or thoughts they may fear. The prevention in participating in rituals or compulsions, whether physical or mental, are crucial to maximising the effect of the treatment. Approximately 50% of patients benefit from EPR without the involvement of medication. In formal applications of this type of treatment these steps are often followed:

The first argument for the use of ECT is the fact that majority of studies and modern literature show that this treatment is very successful in treating many psychological disorders. Evidence seems strongest for the efficacy in severely depressed patients, as well as manic patients (Reisner, 2003). When looking at those with major depression, the likelihood of substantial improvement ranges from 80-90% (Weiner & Krystal, 1994). In manic patients, Gabbard concludes that 80% of patients show “marked improvement” (2001, p.1272).

The intention of this article is to leave social factors behind and determine whether or not, when done properly, ECT has any long term negative cognitive or physical effects on the patient that would overwhelm the advantages of the treatment. There have been propositions that ECT has outstanding long term effects on the heart, memory function and also that it may contribute to or cause brain damage. Also, studies suggest high rates of mortality directly caused by ECT. In the following paragraphs each hypothesis will be examined based on evidence provided by various studies within the scientific field.

This week I witnessed an Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) performed to a patient with severe depression. I always had the belief that this was a cruel procedure and that this was making the patient’s condition worse Now that I know how the procedure is done, and the safety precautions used by the doctor and the health care personal involve. They make sure that patients oxygen levels are kept to 100%, monitor heart rate with an ECG throughout the

No, Elizabeth is not correct about ECT Therapy. Elizabeth needs to research updated information on ECT Therapy. If she researched current information she would understand that it is a procedure done with general anesthesia. The process of ECT Therapy is simply a small electrical current that passes through the brain. Currently ECT Therapy is still used in the United States and across different countries to treat depression. “The therapy can change patterns of blood flow through the brain and change metabolism of the brain which may be affected by depression” (pysch). According to WebMd, “Effectives of ECT Therapy is very effective for patients who suffer from mania or a number of other mental illnesses” (WEBMD). The success rate of ECT

The rationale for ECT is to provide relief from the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses such as severe depression,