Electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy, 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 biologi…
Electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy, 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 biologi…
What are the benefits of electric shock therapy?
Electric shock treatment 'improves academic performance' Stimulating the brain with tiny electric shocks can boost people’s learning and memory ability, research has found.
What should I do if I get an electric shock?
- Do not touch the person, as they may be in contact with the electrical source.
- Call 911 or have someone else call 911.
- If it is safe to do so, turn off the source of electricity. ...
- After removing the electrical source, check the person for a pulse, and determine whether they are breathing. ...
What are the after effects of electric shock therapy?
What are the three stages of shock?
- Restlessness, agitation and anxiety – the earliest signs of hypoxia.
- Pallor and clammy skin – this occurs because of microcirculation.
- Nausea and vomiting – decrease in blood flow to the GI system.
- Thirst.
- Delayed capillary refill.
What to do in the event of an electric shock?
What to do in the event of an electric shock
- Cut off the source of electricity. Electrocution is caused by the intense electric shock the victim receives. ...
- Call emergencies. After cutting off the power or clearing the victim, it is important to contact the emergency room. ...
- Attempt to resuscitate the victim. ...
- Make the first dressings. ...
Why did they give electric shock treatment?
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: Severe depression, particularly when accompanied by detachment from reality (psychosis), a desire to commit suicide or refusal to eat.
What was ECT originally used to treat?
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.
What was electroshock therapy used for in the 1960s?
By the 1960s, the evidence that ECT was very effective for treating depression was robust. But there were also good reasons for patients to fear ECT.
Is electric shock treatment still used for depression?
But electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is still being used -- more in Europe than the United States -- and it may be the most effective short-term treatment for some patients with depressive symptoms, a newly published review in the journal The Lancet suggests.
Why was shock therapy used in asylums?
Shock Therapies Brought to the United States by Manfred Sakel, a German neurologist, insulin shock therapy injected high levels of insulin into patients to cause convulsions and a coma. After several hours, the living dead would be revived from the coma, and thought cured of their madness.
How was depression treated in the 1960s?
Exorcisms, drowning, and burning were popular treatments of the time. Many people were locked up in so-called "lunatic asylums." While some doctors continued to seek physical causes for depression and other mental illnesses, they were in the minority.
What was electroshock therapy used for 1940s?
Electroconvulsive therapy had changed from being a first-line treatment of depression in the 1940s and 1950s to merely an approach to treatment-resistant depression in the 1990s.
Why is ECT so controversial?
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.
When was ECT first used for depression?
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.
Does ECT change your personality?
ECT does not change a person's personality, nor is it designed to treat those with just primary “personality disorders.” ECT can cause transient short-term memory — or new learning — impairment during a course of ECT, which fully reverses usually within one to four weeks after an acute course is stopped.
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.
Does ECT help anxiety?
ECT is not used to treat anxiety and therefore does not have a role in people who have solely an anxiety disorder. ECT may have a role in people who have comorbid depression and anxiety.
What is electric shock therapy?
Electric shock therapy, better known as electroconvulsive therapy, is used to treat myriad mental illnesses, including severe depression, mania, and schizophrenia . It is not an appropriate choice for individuals living with mental illnesses treated effectively with talk therapy or medication.
What is the name of the movie that depicts electric shock therapy?
Infamously depicted in the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , electric shock therapy has gained a reputation as a brutal and inhumane punishment for those struggling with their mental health. This film does indeed portray the reality of a small portion of patients from the early days of electric shock therapy treatment.
How long does electric shock therapy take?
Electric shock therapy is completed over several sessions. These sessions are often administered over two to four weeks, at a rate of up to three sessions per week. Most sessions take between five and ten minutes, but preparation and recovery time can extend treatment time. Electric Shock Therapy Of The Past.
What are the side effects of electric shock?
Physical Issues:Directly after electric shock therapy, some patients may experience physical side effects, such as nausea, headaches, jaw tension, or muscle pains. These side effects are typically short-lived and can be treated with over-the-counter medications.
Can shock therapy help with depression?
Shock Therapy For Depression: Individuals with severe forms of depression may find relief in electric shock therapy. Depression may be accompanied by psychosisor intense suicidal ideation. Depression that is resistant to medications and other treatment also makes an ideal candidate for shock therapy.
Is electric shock therapy considered anesthesia?
Patients also reported long-term and debilitating confusion. Electric shock therapy was often administered without anesthesia or muscle relaxants, so patients were conscious throughout the procedure. Little action was taken to mitigate these and other negative side effects of the treatment.
Is electric shock therapy a medical treatment?
Electric Shock Therapy Of The Past. Electric shock therapy has changed and developed over its life as a medical treatment. For instance, shock therapy for depression has its origins in the eighteenth-century, when the London Medical Journalcited intentional seizure induction as a treatment for various psychiatric disorders.
When is ECT administered?
Promotional materials are careful in describing the procedure and present a picture that’s quite benign: “ECT treatment is generally administered in the morning, before breakfast,” reads one brochure. “Prior to the actual treatment, the patient is given general anesthesia and a muscle relaxant.
Why did terror stalk the halls of euthanasia hospitals?
According to history professor Henry Friedlander, “Terror stalked the halls of the euthanasia hospitals not only because patients feared being selected for killing at any time or because some of the staff beat and maltreated them, but also because some medical procedures imposed unusual pain.”.
What machines were used in the Moroccan prison system?
The center also had several Page-Russell electroshock machines, which were routinely used on prisoners. During the post-shock periods, Moroccan physicians questioned the detainees, seeking information about opponents to the king.”.
Does electric current cause seizures?
While the modern procedure is generally carried out without busted teeth and the more grisly features of its early practice, the principle is still the same: Electric current blazes through the brain to provoke a seizure—the logic being that seizures occurring in the brain have some therapeutic benefit, somehow.
Does electricity shock the brain?
And Baughman says using electricity to shock the brain into a seizure—no matter how you do it—results in real and lasting harm. “You are creating a seizure which is prima facie evidence of brain damage,” he observes.
Who invented the electric shock?
The electric shock, the article said, “is produced by a small portable electric box which was invented in Italy by Professor Ugo Cerletti of the Rome University Clinic.”. Dr. S. Eugene Barrera, the principal researcher on the project, “emphasized that hope for any ‘miracle cure’ must not be pinned on the new method.”.
What is ECT therapy?
The article described “a new method, introduced in Italy, of treating certain types of mental disorders by sending an electric shock through the brain.”. It was the first time that what is now called electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, had been mentioned in The Times. The electric shock, the article said, “is produced by a small portable electric ...
Is electroconvulsive therapy still used?
But electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is still being used -- more in Europe than the United States -- and it may be the most effective short-term treatment for some patients with depressive symptoms, a newly published review in the journal The Lancet suggests.
Is ECT a good treatment for depression?
Researchers concluded that ECT remains an important treatment option for the management of severe depression. "Despite its image, ECT is a sophisticated and complex treatment that can be especially useful in patients who are not helped by drug therapy," researcher John Geddes, MD, of the University of Oxford in England, tells WebMD.
Is ECT more effective than drug therapy?
Findings from 18 studies involving 1,144 patients suggested that ECT was significantly more effective for the short-term treatment of depression than drug therapy.
What is shock therapy?
"Shock therapy" was so-called, as an electric shock is used to induce a controlled seizure intended as a treatment , primarily for mood disorders, although other conditions may be treated as well. Shock therapy is now known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT.
Where is shock therapy performed?
Shock therapy is performed in a hospital, sometimes in an area specifically set aside for this treatment. An intravenous (IV) is inserted to provide anesthetic medication. Vital signs are taken initially and continuously throughout the shock therapy treatment.
How does shock therapy feel?
How Shock Therapy Feels. When you awake from the anesthesia, you may be confused and tired. You will likely experience short-term memory loss around the time of the procedure. With multiple treatments, this may increase. Adverse cognitive effects tend to be the most concerning factors around ECT and tend to affect the frequency and duration ...
What is the name of the drug that is used to treat seizures?
A paralyzing agent called succinylcholine is then administered to prevent the seizure from spreading to your body. The electrodes are then applied to your head with conducting jelly and a brief shock (less than 2 seconds) is administered.
How to know if you are recovering from shock?
Your vital signs will be monitored closely after the shock treatment to ensure proper recovery. You may feel head, muscle or back pain. Such discomfort tends to be relieved by mild medications. If any post-treatment effect is concerning you, you should talk to the treating physician immediately.
Is electroconvulsive therapy effective?
Electroconvulsive therapy has also shown effectiveness in treating other disorders such as neuroleptic malignant syndrome (a rare, severe, adverse reaction to antipsychotic medication). Shock treatment for depression and other disorders is indicated when the patient needs rapid improvement because the patient is:
Does mania respond to shock?
Mania also often responds well to shock treatment. The picture is not as bright for schizophrenia, which is more difficult to treat and is characterized by frequent relapses. A small number of patients are placed on maintenance shock therapy.
Where is the GED shock device used?
A GED shock device used at the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in Canton, Mass. NBC News.
What was Rico Torres's diagnosis?
NBC News. By the time he was seven, Torres had been diagnosed with a range of disorders from ADHD to attachment disorder and his behavior had become increasingly violent.
What is a GED device?
The device, called a graduated electronic decelerator (GED), was part of his treatment at Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in Canton, Mass., which has for half a century been one of the most controversial institutions for people with disabilities in the country.
Why was Torres shocked?
Under his court-approved treatment plan, Torres could be shocked for threatening to hit another student or for running away, swearing or screaming, refusing to follow directions or "inappropriate urination," according to court records obtained by NBC News. One employee, he said, used to shock him in his sleep.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What movie was a tool of terror?
The New York Times described the public's negative perception of ECT as being caused mainly by one movie: "For Big Nurse in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, it was a tool of terror, and, in the public mind, shock therapy has retained the tarnished image given it by Ken Kesey's novel: dangerous, inhumane and overused".
When was the Electroconvulsive Therapy Machine invented?
The conflicts over ECT have other sources. Electroconvulsive Therapy Machine 1945-60. Credit: Science Museum, London Wellcome Images (CC BY 4.0) ECT was invented in Italy in the late 1930s. Psychiatrists had already discovered that inducing seizures could relieve symptoms of mental illness.
Why was ECT used in mental hospitals?
There is no question that ECT was benefiting patients then, but there is also a lot of evidence from that period showing that ECT, and the threat of it, were used in mental hospitals to control difficult patients and to maintain order on wards. ECT was also physically dangerous when first developed.
What treatment did Leia Organa use?
Fisher’s bravery, though, was not just in fighting the stigma of her illness, but also in declaring in her memoir “ Shockaholic ” her voluntary use of a stigmatized treatment: electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), often known as shock treatment.
How does ECT work?
ECT works by using electricity to induce seizures. This is certainly a counterintuitive way of treating illness. But many medical treatments, such as chemotherapy for cancer, require us to undergo terrible physical experiences for therapeutic purposes. The conflicts over ECT have other sources.
What was the power of ECT?
Kesey, though, would also have known about ECT’s power to relieve symptoms of mental illness, and one of the characters in the book attests to this. At that time, ECT was also used as a “treatment” for homosexuality, then considered by psychiatrists to be an illness.
How many people receive ECT?
Increasingly, ECT came to be provided with consent, and the use of modified ECT became standard. Now, psychiatrists estimate that about 100,000 Americans receive ECT. With the rise of the age of Prozac, our culture became more comfortable with physical fixes for those illnesses we continue to call “mental.”.
When did ECT use decline?
ECT use declined in the 1960s and 1970s, but revived starting in the early 1980s. During the years since, there have been a growing number of positive portrayals, often in patient memoirs like Fisher’s.
Who invented electroconvulsive therapy?
Ugo Cerletti (1877-1963), the father of electroconvulsive therapy. Like many treatments in psychiatry and medicine more generally, ECT was discovered serendipitously (see Lieberman & Ogas, 2015). Early asylum keepers recognized that the symptoms of psychotic patients who also suffered from epilepsy seemed to improve after having a seizure.
When was the electrical technique used in psychiatry?
The treatment worked just as planned, and the patient's condition improved markedly. Beginning in the 1940s, the electrical technique was adopted by almost every major psychiatric institution around the world as a treatment for serious mental disease.
How does electroconvulsive therapy work?
Although its exact mechanism of action is unknown, electroconvulsive therapy works by inducing seizure activity via electricity in the frontal lobes of the brain. The treatment itself lasts only several minutes, and a usual course of ECT involves treatment two or three times a week for a few weeks, followed by maintenance therapy on an outpatient ...
What caused the animal to enter an anesthetized coma-like state?
The electricity caused the animal to enter an anesthetized coma-like state. Cerletti wondered whether electricity applied to the heads of human patients would similarly produce anesthesia before provoking convulsions. Electroconvulsive therapy was born.
Where is the original ECT machine?
An original ECT machine used by Cerletti preserved at Museo di Storia della Medicina in Rome. Source: Francesca Pallone, used with permission. Around the same time, Italian neurologist Ugo Cerletti was experimenting with seizure induction in dogs by delivering electrical shocks directly to their heads.
Who invented the ECT device?
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.
Who developed the ECT?
In the United States, ECT was advanced by psychiatrists Lothar Kalinowsky and Max Fink, among others. Fink remains professor emeritus of psychiatry and neurology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and has continued to write about the merits of ECT.
