What is the success rate of ECT therapy?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure that uses a mild electrical current to cause a brief seizure. This treatment effectively treats severe mental health conditions, including depression, schizophrenia, and more. It's also safe, and modern methods use anesthesia to minimize any discomfort you might feel during the procedure.
What are the contraindications of ECT therapy?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure that deliberately applies electric current to the brain, through the scalp, to cause a short seizure. It is used to treat people with severe mental illnesses, like depression, that did not respond to other treatments.
What are the pros and cons of ECT?
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is a treatment option for patients suffering from severe depression who have been unsuccessful with other forms of treatment, such as antidepressant medication and psychotherapy. A thorough psychiatric evaluation must be completed to determine whether or not a patient is a good candidate for ECT.
What is the success rate of ECT?
Feb 28, 2022 · Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a medical treatment that involves electrically stimulating the brain. It is used for specific mental health disorders, including severe forms of major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder , that do not respond to other treatments like medication and therapy.
What disorders are treated by electroconvulsive therapy?
Electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) is a medical procedure that is used to treat a range of mental illnesses, such as severe depression, catatonia and some forms of mania and schizophrenia. The treatment induces controlled seizures in the person by placing small electrodes at specific locations on the head.
When do you consider ECT electroconvulsive therapy?
It should be considered in cases of treatment-resistant depression, schizophrenia, and mania. It should also be considered as a first-line treatment in certain urgently ill patients who require rapid response due to the severity of their medical or psychiatric illness.Nov 27, 2019
What is electroconvulsive therapy NHS?
Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) is a physical treatment carried out under a general anaesthetic. A stimulus is passed across the brain for a few seconds to produce a small artificial seizure which affects the brain, including the parts that control thinking, mood, appetite and sleep.
How many ECT treatments can a person have?
People undergoing ECT need multiple treatments. The number needed to successfully treat severe depression can range from 4 to 20, but most people need a total of 6 to 12 treatments. The treatments are usually given three times a week — Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.Apr 7, 2021
Why is electroconvulsive therapy used?
Why is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) used? ECT is one of the fastest ways to relieve symptoms in severely depressed or suicidal patients, in patients who suffer from mania, and in other mental illnesses.
What is ECT therapy?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure that deliberately applies electric current to the brain, through the scalp, to cause a short seizure. It is used to treat people with severe mental illnesses, like depression, that did not respond to other treatments. Appointments 866.588.2264. Appointments & Locations.
What is the effect of ECT on the brain?
ECT causes the patient to have a seizure. Electrodes are placed on the patient’s scalp and a finely controlled electric current is applied, which causes a brief seizure in the brain. Because the muscles are relaxed, the seizure will usually be limited to slight movement of the hands and feet. Patients are carefully monitored during the treatment.
What is ECT in medical terms?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure in which a brief application of electric current to the brain, through the scalp, induces a seizure. It is typically used to treat a patient who is suffering from severe depression. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center.
How often is ECT given?
This confusion typically lasts for only a short period of time. ECT is given up to three times a week for 2 to 4 weeks. A course of ECT is usually followed by psychotherapy and medicine under a psychiatrist's care.
When to use ECT?
ECT is generally used as a later treatment option when severe depression is unresponsive to other forms of therapy, or when the patient is so ill that his or her life is in danger. It also is used when these patients pose a severe threat to themselves or others, and it is dangerous to wait until medications take effect.
Is ECT a quick fix?
There also is a misconception that ECT is used as a "quick fix" instead of long-term therapy or hospitalization. Unfavorable news reports and media coverage have added to the controversy of this treatment. In fact, ECT is safe and among the most effective treatments available for depression.
What is electroconvulsive therapy?
Electroconvulsive Therapy is a treatment option for patients suffering from severe depression who have been unsuccessful with other forms of treatment.
What is ECT therapy?
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is a treatment option for patients suffering from severe depression who have been unsuccessful with other forms of treatment, such as antidepressant medication and psychotherapy. A thorough psychiatric evaluation must be completed to determine whether or not a patient is a good candidate for ECT.
How long does ECT surgery take?
The actual procedure itself lasts only a 2-3 minutes and the patient wakes up from the effects of anesthesia within 5 to 10 minutes. It is a well-controlled and highly successful treatment option. Wake Forest Baptist performs ECT as an outpatient and inpatient procedure.
What is ECT used for?
ECT is used for people whose depression is severe or life-threatening or who cannot take antidepressant medication. ECT is often effective in cases where antidepressant medications do not provide sufficient relief of symptoms or in cases where the side effects, caused by antidepressant, are not tolerable.
How effective is ECT?
ECT is an effective medical treatment option, helping as many as 80-85 percent of patients who receive it. Most patients remain well for many months afterwards. The tendency to relapse after a favorable treatment outcome can often be countered by medication after a series of treatments.
What is a PAC in ECT?
If a psychiatrist recommends ECT treatment and the patient agrees with the treatment course, general medical evaluation in the Pre-Anesthesia Assessment Clinic (PAC) is necessary before ECT treatment.
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How many cases of ECT are there?
The number of ECT procedures administered in each case is as follows: Case 1, eight; Case 2, three; and Case 3, four. In all three cases, the patients' depressive symptoms improved considerably after the ECT procedures.
Is electroconvulsive therapy a first line treatment for OCD?
Electroconvulsive therapy on severe obsessive-compulsive disorder comorbid depressive symptoms. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is not currently used as a first-line treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Is electroconvulsive therapy effective for OCD?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is not currently used as a first-line treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, several related case reports have demonstrated that ECT seems to be effective for severe OCD, especially when first-line therapies have failed.
Why It's Done
- 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…
Risks
- 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…
How You Prepare
- 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 You Can Expect
- 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.
Results
- 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…