Electroconvulsive Theory Essay

Electroshock therapy is the process of electroshocking the brain of a human, this a process that takes multiple sessions (CBS News). ECT caused critical seizures. Doctors used this method to cure of reduce schizophrenia. Electroshock therapy was performed daily, it was known referred to as “The shock of the day” (D’Antonio). Doctors saw ECT as a easy and fast way to cure a patient.

Before it was administered, each Patient was thought about on a case by case basis; this lead to different placements of electrodes, voltage and duration of this therapeutic technique depending on that individual. However, normally, electrodes are placed on the same side of the patient's head. The electrodes then deliver an electrical stimulus at high voltages and the patient has a seizure where their whole body convulses. The patient's EEG, ECG, and blood oxygen levels are monitored during treatment. ECT is usually administered three times a week, on alternate days, over a course of two to four

What remains unknown is why electroconvulsive therapy is effective. A plethora of studies show the neurochemical correlates of this treatment and its relation to the anti-depressant effect, yet none are conclusive. Richard Abrams has studied ECT for years and discusses a wide variety of reasons for its effectiveness in his revised edition of Electroconvulsive Therapy. For a person who has studied this treatment for 50 years, he concludes

According to the Mental Health America website (2012), ECT is making a comeback. They assert with “the increase in the elderly population and Medicare, and the push by insurance companies to provide fast, “medical” treatment rather than talk therapy” (para. 6) has created yet another potentially dangerous field to navigate. Is it appropriate to treat these elderly patients with ECT when they have pre-existing medical conditions, specifically cardiac conditions where an electric shock could be fatal? Who is the advocate for the elderly widow without family to speak for her should she become so incapacitated by mental illness this becomes a viable option? This patient is vulnerable

Another biological therapy is electroconvulsive therapy, which patients are injected so that they are unconscious before the electric shock is administered. (They are also given a nerve blocking agent to paralyse muscles to prevent fractures during the seizure.) A small amount of electric current, lasting about half a second is passed through the brain. This produces a seizure, lasting up to one minute, which affects the whole brain. A patient usually requires between 3 and 15 treatments.

ECT was done in operating rooms by the psychiatric staff. Before the ECT was even administered, the staff would make sure that the patient did not feel a thing during the procedure. “Anesthetic drugs used routinely are thiopental, or propofol and the typical muscle relaxant is succinylcholine” (Pitidhammabhorn, et al. 6). So, today’s patients that receive ECT are given muscle relaxants and anesthetic so they do not feel any pain. Also, patients are given electric shocks while they are unconscious. With all of this said, the “modified” version of electroconvulsive therapy is completely same and is not a brutal procedure because, the patients do not endure any pain throughout the whole thing.

Along medication, certain types of therapies are also used for treating Mental Health patients. One such therapy is Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). It is a type of treatment which is effective in severe depression. The treatment involves procedure

I learned that often times, ECT is used along with a general anesthesia and a brief electrical current initiated to trigger a brief seizure. Likewise, I realized that ECT is the preferred treatment when other options are not as well tolerated. After becoming more familiar with the procedure, it seems as though ECT may be a more desirable option than pharmacological interventions as drug interventions may require more time to become effective. Sometimes when a patient's signs and symptoms are overwhelming, interfering with their daily life, time is of the essence and ECT provides a quicker relief for individuals with immediate risk. After several years and improvement technology, ECT has become much safer in the past, presenting minimal possible risks - memory loss, confusion, headache or muscle ache - to the

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).

Prior to the actual treatment, the patient is given general anesthesia and a muscle relaxant. Electrodes are then attached to the patient's scalp and an electric current is applied which causes a brief convulsion. Minutes later, the patient awakens confused and without memory of events surrounding the treatment. This treatment is usually repeated three times a week for two to four weeks. The number of treatments varies from six to twelve. It is often recommended that the patient maintain a limited intake of medication, after the ECT treatments, to reduce the chance of relapse.

After the treatment was through the patient would be covered in sweat and sometimes the sheets would be stained with bodily fluids. The patients were observed to be less aggressive, less hostile and very calm. In the successful treatments, the patients’ delusions and hallucinations were no longer present and they also experienced less obsessive thoughts. Many people view this treatment as dangerous and did not use this method because of the risks involved. This therapy was slowly replaced with Electroconvulsive therapy and is rarely used

Since its beginning, the issue of the safety and efficacy of ECT has existed, and thus its use has been always remained controversial (Weiner & Krystal, 1994). Even with the modern development of ECT, some of the same issues are still prevalent. There are two sides here: the advocates that support the use of the treatment, and those who do not. This is explored next.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), formerly known as electroshock therapy, is a treatment for mental illnesses that runs small electric currents through the brain, with the intention of bringing on a brief seizure. The goal is to change brain chemistry to reverse symptoms of certain mental illnesses. During the 1940s-50s, ECT was the most effective way of treating certain mental illnesses and was used frequently throughout many countries (Kendell, 1982). One of the main illnesses ECT is used for is depression, but it is also used for other mental illnesses, such as mania and some cases of schizophrenia. Patients undergo ECT about three times a week, totaling six to twelve sessions. This is an important topic to research because ECT is known to

Along with education, allowing families to observe therapy sessions can assist in reducing skepticism. In the event that an individual requires electroconvulsive therapy, many patient families become suspicious of mal-practice and patient abuse because non-medical staff is typically not permitted in the therapy room. Additionally, many families go with little or no information on the procedure before it actually happens. Sometimes all they receive from a psychiatrist is a small pamphlet, which does not always act as sufficient reassurance that the patient will be unharmed. If a family is allowed to be near their loved ones and watch psychiatrists perform the procedure, it will help reduce any suspicions they may have that the patient is being

seizure through controlled electric shock, under anesthesia. The process itself is under scrutiny because it is not entirely understood, which is main a reason why it is only considered in the direst of cases. ECT tends to have severe physical health risks and with the introduction of newer and less harmful antidepressant drugs, it is being used far less often (Comer, 2005). This new class of drugs includes three main types; monoamine oxidase (MAOI) inhibitors, tricyclics and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).