Common Causes
According to the US Surgeon General, involuntary treatment is uncommon in the US and is typically used only in cases of great extremity, and only when all other treatment options have been exhausted. The use of ECT is believed to be a potentially life-saving treatment.
Related Conditions
Bilateral ECT, in which the electrodes are placed on both sides of the head. This is designed to affect the entire brain. Unilateral ECT, in which one electrode placed on top of the head and the other on one temple, usually the right. In this case, the current only passes through one side of the brain.
When is ECT used to treat a patient?
In order to render a client unconscious during the ECT procedure, an anesthesiologist administers intravenously, a short-acting anesthetic like thiopental sodium (Pentothal).
What are the different types of ECT?
The World Health Organization (2005) advises that ECT should be used only with the informed consent of the patient (or their guardian if their incapacity to consent has been established).
How does an anesthesiologist administer ECT?
What is the World Health Organization’s view on ECT?
What does ECT mean in medical terms?
A treatment for severe depression and certain mental disorders. A brief seizure is induced by giving electrical stimulation to the brain through electrodes placed on the scalp. Also called electroconvulsive therapy and electroshock therapy.
What is ECT best used for?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can provide rapid, significant improvements in severe symptoms of several mental health conditions. ECT is used to treat: Severe depression, particularly when accompanied by detachment from reality (psychosis), a desire to commit suicide or refusal to eat.
Is ECT a biological treatment for depression?
ECT is utilized worldwide as one of the most effective biological treatment modalities for various severe, treatment-refractory or treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders, in particular, major depressive disorder (MDD) in western countries and schizophrenia in Asian countries [1].
What is ECT treatment for bipolar?
ECT involves sending an electric current through the brain to cause a controlled seizure. It isn't entirely understood why the seizure is effective, but it's thought that it eases the symptoms of bipolar disorder by changing the brain's chemistry. Electroconvulsive therapy is performed in the hospital.
How is ECT done?
How ECT is Performed. While the patient is under full general anesthesia, a muscle relaxant is given and electrodes are applied to the scalp. A brief electrical stimulus is delivered. The effective stimuli produce a mild seizure which changes the activity of the brain.
How long is ECT treatment?
How long is an ECT procedure? A single ECT session usually lasts one hour. This includes the time the patient will be in the treatment room (approximately 15-20 minutes) and the time spent in the recovery room (approximately 20-30 minutes).
Is ECT a non pharmacological treatment?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most widely used and effective non-pharmacological biological treatment for depression and remains the most effective treatment for difficult-to-treat depression.
Does ECT treat schizophrenia?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was initially used for the treatment of schizophrenia, but over the years with the advent of antipsychotics, its use in schizophrenia has been limited. Treatment guidelines vary in their recommendations for the use of ECT in schizophrenia.
How common is ECT therapy?
Today, ECT is administered to an estimated 100,000 people a year, primarily in general hospital psychiatric units and in psychiatric hospitals. It is generally used in treating patients with severe depression, acute mania, and certain schizophrenic syndromes.
Why is ECT used for depression?
With ECT, an electrical stimulation is delivered to the brain and causes a seizure. For reasons that doctors don't completely understand, this seizure helps relieve the symptoms of depression. ECT does not cause any structural damage to the brain.
Is ECT used in bipolar depression?
Objective. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is used in patients with severe forms of bipolar depression. ECT is effective but not all patients respond.
Is ECT indicated for bipolar?
ECT has been known for decades to be able to improve mood. While the misuse of ECT in the past gave it a bad reputation, it's now considered a safe and effective treatment for bipolar disorder. ECT is mainly used to treat the depressive phase of bipolar disorder, but can also be used during the manic phase.
What are the indications for ECT?
ECT is used mainly to treat severe depression, but is also indicated for patients with other conditions, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, catatonia, and neuroleptic malignant syndrome.
Who is a candidate for ECT therapy?
People who have had ECT before and responded well are good candidates for ECT. Other first-line indications for the procedure include people who are catatonic or suffering from a form of depression known as psychotic depression (depression associated with delusions and hallucinations).
When should ECT not be used?
The following strategies should not be used routinely: augmentation of an antidepressant with a benzodiazepine for more than 2 weeks as there is a risk of dependence. augmentation of an antidepressant with buspirone*, carbamazepine*, lamotrigine* or valproate* as there is insufficient evidence for their use.
Is ECT used for schizophrenia?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was initially used for the treatment of schizophrenia, but over the years with the advent of antipsychotics, its use in schizophrenia has been limited. Treatment guidelines vary in their recommendations for the use of ECT in schizophrenia.
What are the two types of ECT?
Types of ECT. Generally speaking, there are two types of ECT: Bilateral ECT, in which the electrodes are placed on both sides of the head. This is designed to affect the entire brain. Unilateral ECT, in which one electrode placed on top of the head and the other on one temple, usually the right. In this case, the current only passes ...
What Is Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a form of psychiatric treatment that involves inducing seizures with the use of electrical stimulation while an individual is under general anesthesia. An estimated one million people worldwide have ECT each year. 1
How often is ECT given?
ECT is typically given two to three times a week initially for an average of six to 12 sessions and is often tapered over time. A newer ECT technique, right unilateral ultrabrief pulse electroconvulsive therapy, may allow for fewer memory issues with the treatment.
What is ECT therapy?
What Is Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)? Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a form of psychiatric treatment that involves inducing seizures with the use of electrical stimulation while an individual is under general anesthesia. An estimated one million people worldwide have ECT each year. 1.
How many ECT patients are women?
Approximately 70% of ECT patients are women. More than a third of ECT patients are age 65 and older. 3 Use in children and teens remains relatively rare. Some states, including Colorado and Texas, prohibit the use of ECT in children and adolescents under the age of 16.
Why does ECT work?
Researchers don't yet know the precise reason why ECT works, but one theory is that it helps to correct imbalances in the brain’s chemical messenger system. Others say that the seizure "resets" the brain. Several treatments may be needed to see a lasting effect. 9.
How effective is ECT?
Effectiveness: ECT has shown a high level of efficacy in the treatment of some conditions.
What is ECT in medical terms?
ECT involves a brief electrical stimulation of the brain while the patient is under anesthesia. It is typically administered by a team of trained medical professionals that includes a psychiatrist, an anesthesiologist, and a nurse or physician assistant.
When is ECT used?
ECT is typically used when other treatments, including medications and psychotherapy, haven’t worked. ECT is also used for people who require a rapid treatment response because of the severity of their condition, such as being at risk for suicide.
What is ECT therapy?
What is Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)? Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a medical treatment most commonly used in patients with severe major depression or bipolar disorder that has not responded to other treatments. ECT involves a brief electrical stimulation of the brain while the patient is under anesthesia.
What are the side effects of ECT?
The most common side effects of ECT on the day of treatment include nausea, headache, fatigue, confusion, and slight memory loss, which may last minutes to hours.
What test is needed for ECT?
Before beginning a series of ECT treatments, a patient should receive a thorough psychiatric assessment, including a medical examination and sometimes a basic blood test and an electrocardiogram (ECG) to check heart health.
What is the treatment for ECT?
This typically means psychotherapy and/or medication or, in some circumstances, ongoing ECT treatments.
How many times a week do you get ECT?
A patient typically receives ECT two or three times a week for a total of six to 12 treatments, depending on the severity of symptoms and how quickly the symptoms respond to the treatment.
Details on ECT
ECT is a psychiatric treatment that was first developed in the 1930s. It involves passing electric currents through the brain to cause an epileptic-like seizure. The theory behind this treatment is that it can help improve symptoms of certain mental illnesses, such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
Conclusion
The experience of ECT is different for everyone. Some people find it unpleasant while others report feeling better after treatment. There are many side effects from this procedure, but some people may see an improvement in their mental health. Talk to your doctor about it. You may be able to feel happier and healthier if you do.
A Word From Mantra Care
Your mental health — your psychological, emotional, and social well-being — has an impact on every aspect of your life. Positive mental health essentially allows you to effectively deal with life’s everyday challenges.
What is ECT used for?
ECT is used to treat people who have severe or prolonged mania; NICE recommends it only in life-threatening situations or when other treatments have failed and as a second-line treatment for bipolar mania.
When did ECT become popular?
ECT became popular in the US in the 1940s. At the time, psychiatric hospitals were overrun with patients whom doctors were desperate to treat and cure. Whereas lobotomies would reduce a patient to a more manageable submissive state, ECT helped to improve mood in those with severe depression. A survey of psychiatric practice in the late 1980s found that an estimated 100,000 people received ECT annually, with wide variation between metropolitan statistical areas. Accurate statistics about the frequency, context and circumstances of ECT in the US are difficult to obtain because only a few states have reporting laws that require the treating facility to supply state authorities with this information. In 13 of the 50 states, the practice of ECT is regulated by law. In the mid-1990s in Texas, ECT was used in about one third of psychiatric facilities and given to about 1,650 people annually. Usage of ECT has since declined slightly; in 2000–01 ECT was given to about 1500 people aged from 16 to 97 (in Texas it is illegal to give ECT to anyone under sixteen). ECT is more commonly used in private psychiatric hospitals than in public hospitals, and minority patients are underrepresented in the ECT statistics. In the United States, ECT is usually given three times a week; in the United Kingdom, it is usually given twice a week. Occasionally it is given on a daily basis. A course usually consists of 6–12 treatments, but may be more or fewer. Following a course of ECT some patients may be given continuation or maintenance ECT with further treatments at weekly, fortnightly or monthly intervals. A few psychiatrists in the US use multiple-monitored ECT (MMECT), where patients receive more than one treatment per anesthetic. Electroconvulsive therapy is not a required subject in US medical schools and not a required skill in psychiatric residency training. Privileging for ECT practice at institutions is a local option: no national certification standards are established, and no ECT-specific continuing training experiences are required of ECT practitioners.
How many ECT machines are there in China?
As of 2012, there are approximately 400 ECT machines in China, and 150,000 ECT treatments are performed each year. Chinese national practice guidelines recommend ECT for the treatment of schizophrenia, depressive disorders, and bipolar disorder and in the Chinese literature, ECT is an effective treatment for schizophrenia and mood disorders. Although the Chinese government stopped classifying homosexuality as an illness in 2001, electroconvulsive therapy is still used by some establishments as a form of " conversion therapy ".
How long does it take for a person to relapse from ECT?
There is little agreement on the most appropriate follow-up to ECT for people with major depressive disorder. When ECT is followed by treatment with antidepressants, about 50% of people relapsed by 12 months following successful initial treatment with ECT, with about 37% relapsing within the first 6 months.
How many volts does an electroconvulsive therapy use?
Typically, 70 to 120 volts are applied externally to the patient's head resulting in approximately 800 milliamperes of direct current passed through the brain, for 100 milliseconds to 6 seconds duration, either from temple to temple (bilateral ECT) or from front to back of one side of the head (unilateral ECT).
Where is the Electroconvulsive Therapy Machine?
Electroconvulsive therapy machine on display at Glenside Museum in Bristol, England. ECT device produced by Siemens and used for example at the Asyl psychiatric hospital in Kristiansand, Norway from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Why is neuroimaging important before ECT?
Neuroimaging prior to ECT may be useful for detecting intracranial pressure or mass given that patients respond less when one of these conditions exist . Nonetheless it is not indicated due to high cost and low prevalence of these conditions in patients needing ECT.
What does ECT mean in medical terms?
ECT: tube in trachea to help breath, restraints, done in OR
How to induce seizures in Pt?
induce seizures in pt by placing electrodes on temporal area of head, pt under anesthesia
Who believed that the ability to understand transference is essential to a client's success in business?
B. Freud believed that the ability to understand transference is essential to a client's success in
What is classical conditioning therapy?
A. classical conditioning therapeutic technique in which a client learns a new response to a
Why is ECT needed?
Continued suicide assessment is needed because mood improvement due to ECT may cause the client to act on suicidal ideations.
Who cancels the ECT?
A. The nurse notifies the client's physician of the situation and cancels the ECT.
What does a nurse do after electroconvulsive therapy?
A nurse administers pure oxygen to a client during and after electroconvulsive therapy treatment. What is the nurse's rationale for this procedure?
How long before ECT treatment can you give NPO?
A client who is scheduled for ECT treatments is given nothing by mouth (NPO) for a minimum of 6 to 8 hours before treatment.
How long does it take for an electroconvulsive patient to sleep?
After the treatment, most clients will awaken within 10 to 15 minutes and will be confused and disoriented. Some clients will sleep for 1 to 2 hours.
What does "after you begin the course of treatments" mean?
A. "After you begin the course of treatments, you must complete all of them."
Who has the right to terminate treatment?
The client has the right to terminate treatment. This nursing reply acknowledges this right but focuses on the client's concerns so that the nurse can provide needed information.
Why It's Done
Sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbance in the brain which can cause changes in behavior, movements, feelings, and consciousness.
Seizures is not always related to an underlying condition. It may be caused by:
- Lack of sleep
- Alcohol or drug use (amphetamines or cocaine)
- Medications such as certain pain relievers, antidepressants or smoking cessation therapies, that lower the seizure threshold
- Lack of oxygen during birth
- High stress
- Rapidly flashing lights
Risks
How You Prepare
What You Can Expect
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can provide rapid, significant improvements in severe symptoms of several mental health conditions. ECT is used to treat: 1. Severe depression,particularly when accompanied by detachment from reality (psychosis), a desire to commit suicide or refusal to e…
Results
- Although ECT is generally safe, risks and side effects may include: 1. Confusion.Immediately after treatment, you may experience confusion, which can last from a few minutes to several hours. You may not know where you are or why you're there. Rarely, confusion may last several days or longer. Confusion is generally more noticeable in older adults. 2. Memory loss.Some people hav…
Does Ect Work?
- Before having your first ECT treatment, you'll need a full evaluation, which usually includes: 1. Medical history 2. Complete physical exam 3. Psychiatric assessment 4. Basic blood tests 5. Electrocardiogram (ECG) to check your heart health 6. Discussion of the risks of anesthesia These exams help make sure that ECT is safe for you.
What Are The Steps Involved When Getting ect?
- The ECT procedure takes about five to 10 minutes, with added time for preparation and recovery. ECT can be done while you're hospitalized or as an outpatient procedure.
What Are The Risks and Benefits?
- Many people begin to notice an improvement in their symptoms after about six treatments with electroconvulsive therapy. Full improvement may take longer, though ECT may not work for everyone. Response to antidepressant medications, in comparison, can take several weeks or more. No one knows for certain how ECT helps treat severe depression and other mental illness…
Other Brain Stimulation Treatments
Resources
Overview
Medical use
Effects
Procedure
Mechanism of action
- Extensive research has found ECT to be highly effective for the relief of major depression. Clinical evidence indicates that for individuals with uncomplicated, but severe major depression, ECT will produce substantial improvement in approximately 80 percent of patients. It is also used for other severe mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder an...
Use
- Before beginning a series of ECT treatments, a patient should receive a thorough psychiatric assessment, including a medical examination and sometimes a basic blood test and an electrocardiogram (ECG) to check heart health. Informed consent is another important part of the process. A patient must provide written informed consent before ECT is administered. In situati…
History
- Like any medical procedure, ECT is has some risks. ECT treatment has been associated with short-term memory loss and difficulty learning. Some people have trouble remembering events that occurred in the weeks before the treatment or earlier. In most cases, memory problems improve within a couple of months. Some patients may experience longer lasting problems, incl…
Society and culture
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is used to treat depression that has not responded to other therapies. It involves the use of rapidly alternating magnetic fields to stimulate specific areas of the brain. Unlike ECT, TMS does not cause a seizure and the patient remains awake through the noninvasive process. TMS typically only has mild side effects including headaches, …