Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), formerly known as electroshock therapy, is a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in patients to provide relief from mental disorders. The ECT procedure was first conducted in 1938 and rapidly replaced less safe and effective forms of biological treatments in use at the time.
What is the success rate of ECT therapy?
Nov 03, 2018 · ECT's discovery as an effective treatment for severe mental disorder represented the first real hope for patients once considered to be untreatable, and it …
What are the dangers of ECT?
Which disease was ect originally developed as a treatment? Convulsive therapy was introduced in 1934 by Hungarian neuropsychiatrist Ladislas J Meduna who, believing that schizophrenia and epilepsy were antagonistic disorders, induced seizures in patients with first camphor and then cardiazol. Click to see full answer.
Is ECT worth it?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a technique that has been used since 1938 to treat several psychiatric disorders as a replacement for chemically induced seizures. Despite its history of stigma, controversy and low accessibility, ECT is found to be beneficial and efficient in severe cases of depression where medication fails to bring results.
What is the maximum number of ECT treatments?
Jan 04, 2019 · ECT in the treatment of affective disorders. Meduna considered convulsive therapy as a treatment for schizophrenia. However, it was soon found to be even more effective for the treatment of affective disorders. Currently, major depression is the first indication for ECT[22,23,26]. Between the 1960s and 1980s, several studies investigated the efficacy of ECT.
Which disease was ECT originally developed as a treatment?
In 1938, Cerletti and his psychiatrist colleague Lucio Bini developed the first ECT device and treated their first human patient, a diagnosed schizophrenic with delusions, hallucinations, and confusion. The treatment worked just as planned, and the patient's condition improved markedly.Nov 3, 2018
Under which of the following circumstances is electroconvulsive therapy used?
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.
Who may benefit the most from electroconvulsive therapy?
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.May 13, 2014
Why does the administration of electroconvulsive?
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.Oct 12, 2018
When was ECT first used?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is used to treat patients with certain types of mental illness, including severe depression, severe mania, and catatonia. It was first developed in the late 1930s, with the first recorded treatments at McLean Hospital taking place in 1941.Dec 1, 2021
How was ECT discovered?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), one of the oldest treatment methods in the field of psychiatry, was first introduced 80 years ago in Rome when Ugo Cerletti and Lucio Bini used an electric current to elicit an epileptic seizure for therapeutic purposes[1].Jan 4, 2019
Which of the following has electroconvulsive therapy proven successful in treating?
Electroconvulsive therapy has proven to be incredibly effective in treating major depressive disorder. 70 to 90% of patients with severe depression will experience substantial improvement of symptoms.
Who benefits from electroconvulsive therapy?
ECT is one of the fastest ways to relieve symptoms in severely depressed or suicidal patients. It's also very effective for patients who suffer from mania or a number of other mental illnesses.Sep 4, 2020
Which condition would be a contraindication to electroconvulsive therapy ECT )?
Due to the physiologic changes associated with ECT, the list of contraindications includes recent MI, heart failure, recent stroke, elevated ICP, aneurysm/AVM at risk of rupture, pheochromocytoma, severe HTN, and cervical spine instability, most of which are only relative.Aug 17, 2015
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.
Why is ECT a controversial treatment?
Reasons for Controversy Three reasons are given for the aversion: 1) ECT is considered old-fashioned and politically incorrect; 2) it is forced on the patient; and 3) the memory disturbances are so severe and persistent that no rational human being would undergo this procedure, no matter how well-intended.Mar 1, 2004
When was the ECT procedure first used?
The ECT procedure was first conducted in 1938 by Italian psychiatrist Ugo Cerletti and rapidly replaced less safe and effective forms of biological treatments in use at the time. ECT is often used with informed consent as a safe and effective intervention for major depressive disorder, mania, and catatonia.
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.
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 ".
What was the first APA report?
The 1970s saw the publication of the first American Psychiatric Association (APA) task force report on electroconvulsive therapy (to be followed by further reports in 1990 and 2001). The report endorsed the use of ECT in the treatment of depression. The decade also saw criticism of ECT.
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.
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.
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.
When was electroconvulsive therapy invented?
The history of modern electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) dates back to 1938 when Italian psychiatrist Lucio Bini and neurologist Ugo Cerletti used electricity to induce a series of seizures to successfully treat a catatonic patient.
When was the ECT procedure invented?
History of ECT: How the ECT Procedure Developed. The history of ECT begins in the 1500s with the idea of treating mental illness with convulsions. Initially, convulsions were induced by orally taking camphor.
What is the ECT standard?
ECT is considered to be the "gold standard" of depression treatment as it produces remission rates of 60% - 70% - far higher than any other known depression treatment.
What was used in the 1950s for ECT?
The 1950s also saw the introduction of succinylcholine, a muscle relaxant that was used in combination with a short-acting anesthetic during the ECT procedure to prevent injury and to prevent the patient from feeling the ECT procedure.
When was the first ECT report published?
In 1978, the American Psychiatric Association published the first Task Force Report on ECT designed to outline standard ECT procedures consistent with scientific evidence, and reduce abuse and misuse of the treatment (in earlier years, ECT was used by some to abuse and control mentally ill patients). This report was followed by versions in 1990 and ...
Is ECT still used?
While it was known seizures could treat psychiatric illness, there was no ECT procedure available that would prevent severe ECT side effects like: In spite of these risks, ECT was still used; however, as the only known alternative s were lobotomy and insulin shock treatment.
Overview
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric treatment where a generalized seizure (without muscular convulsions) is electrically induced to manage refractory mental disorders. Typically, 70 to 120 volts are applied externally to the patient's head, resulting in approximately 800 milliamperes of direct current passing through the brain, for a duration of 100 millisecondsto 6 seconds, eith…
Medical use
ECT is used, where possible, with informed consent in treatment-resistant major depressive disorder, treatment-resistant catatonia, prolonged or severe mania, and in conditions where "there is a need for rapid, definitive response because of the severity of a psychiatric or medical condition (e.g., when illness is characterized by stupor, marked psychomotor retardation, depressive delusions or hallucinations, or life-threatening physical exhaustion associated with m…
Effects
Aside from effects in the brain, the general physical risks of ECT are similar to those of brief general anesthesia; the US Surgeon General's report says that there are "no absolute health contraindications" to its use. Immediately following treatment, the most common adverse effects are confusion and memory loss. Some patients experience muscle sorenessafter ECT. A meta-analysis from 2017 found that the death rate of ECT is around 2.1 per 100,000 procedures. Ther…
Procedure
The placement of electrodes, as well as the dose and duration of the stimulation is determined on a per-patient basis.
In unilateral ECT, both electrodes are placed on the same side of the patient's head. Unilateral ECT may be used first to minimize side effects such as memory loss.
Mechanism of action
Despite decades of research, the exact mechanism of action of ECT remains elusive. Neuroimaging studies in people who have had ECT, investigating differences between responders and nonresponders, and people who relapse, find that responders have anticonvulsant effects mostly in the frontal lobes, which corresponds to immediate responses, and neurotrophic effects primarily in the medial temporal lobe. The anticonvulsant effects are decreased blood flow and d…
Use
As of 2001, it was estimated that about one million people received ECT annually.
There is wide variation in ECT use between different countries, different hospitals, and different psychiatrists. International practice varies considerably from widespread use of the therapy in many Western countries to a small minority of countries that do not use ECT at all, such as Slovenia.
History
As early as the 16th century, agents to induce seizures were used to treat psychiatric conditions. In 1785, the therapeutic use of seizure induction was documented in the London Medical and Surgical Journal. As to its earliest antecedents one doctor claims 1744 as the dawn of electricity's therapeutic use, as documented in the first issue of Electricity and Medicine. Treatment and cu…
Society and culture
Surveys of public opinion, the testimony of former patients, legal restrictions on the use of ECT and disputes as to the efficacy, ethics and adverse effects of ECT within the psychiatric and wider medical community indicate that the use of ECT remains controversial. This is reflected in the January 2011 vote by the FDA's Neurological Devices Advisory Panel to recommend that FDA maintain ECT devices in the Class III device category for high risk devices, except for patients su…