Is electroshock therapy what it used to be?
Apr 22, 2022 · Misinformed About Electric Shock Treatment. It took Juli a year to emerge from the fog that resulted from the ECT. It took six years to recover to the point where she was able to fully articulate what happened. "I have spent the last years reading the research, including the studies that ECT experts use to promote the treatment," says Juli.
Does pulsing increase the number of shocks administered in electroconvulsive therapy?
ECT: A Short * History * The sampling of facts, anecdotes and personal tragedies presented here represent a much larger well of material that could easily comprise a large book. 1938 After observing pigs shocked into seizures and senselessness in a Rome slaughterhouse, Italian psychiatrist Ugo Cerletti uses the same method on a human being. After the first shock, his …
What are some examples of electroshock being used as a torture?
The patients were asked whether they were frightened or angered by the experience, how they looked back at the treatment, and whether they would do it again. Of the patients interviewed, 54% considered a trip to the dentist more distressing, many praised the treatment, and 81% said they would agree to have ECT again.
What should I do if my child gets bit by a human?
This is not treatment—it is nothing more than authorized torture. Real medical treatment helps people recover from illness and injury—not worsen it. ECT should not be administered to any person, of any age, regardless of what the psychiatric industry touts as “safe and effective” treatment—it most certainly is not. Categories.
What happens in shock treatment?
When you're asleep from the anesthetic and your muscles are relaxed, the doctor presses a button on the ECT machine. This causes a small amount of electric current to pass through the electrodes to your brain, producing a seizure that usually lasts less than 60 seconds.Oct 12, 2018
Is electric shock therapy painful?
Freeman and R. E. Kendell of the University of Edinburgh found that 68 percent reported that the experience was no more upsetting than a visit to the dentist. For the others, ECT was more unpleasant than dentistry, but it was not painful. Still, the treatment is not hazard-free.
Do they shave your head for ECT?
During surgery prep, you'll have your head shaved. You may be kept unconscious throughout brain surgery with general anesthesia or stay awake with a local anesthetic used on your scalp. A sturdy frame will hold your head to prevent movement during surgery.Feb 21, 2021
What are the side effects of electroshock therapy?
Immediate side effectsdrowsiness (you may sleep for a while)confusion.headache.feeling sick.aching muscles.loss of appetite.
Can electroshock therapy erase memories?
ECT may never be appropriate for simply erasing a bad memory, Kroes says. But for people already undergoing the treatment for other reasons, ECT may allow them to gain control over crippling memories. For instance, a patient might target bad memories to be wiped out by recalling them just before treatment.Jan 14, 2014
What happens to the brain during ECT?
It may promote changes in how brain cells communicate with each other at synapses and it may stimulate the development of new brain cells. ECT may flood the brain with neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which are known to be involved in conditions like depression and schizophrenia.
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.
How much does electroshock therapy cost?
Another issue that may limit use of ECT is its cost, estimated at $300 to $1000 per treatment. With 5 to 15 treatments per initial course and 10 to 20 maintenance treatments per year, the annual cost of ECT can exceed $10 000 vs several hundred dollars for many antidepressant medications.May 9, 2018
Can you smoke before ECT?
Before Your Procedure Because electroconvulsive therapy is performed under general anesthesia, you should not eat, drink, or smoke after midnight on the days of your treatments. Do not drink alcohol or use any illegal drugs over the course of the treatment.
Does electroshock therapy cause brain damage?
The review of literature and present evidence suggests that ECT has a demonstrable impact on the structure and function of the brain. However, there is a lack of evidence at present to suggest that ECT causes brain damage.
What is the most serious side effect of ECT?
Risks and Side Effects of ECT. The most common side effect of ECT is short-term memory loss. However, some people report that they have long-term memory loss, as well. ECT also causes a brief rise in heart rate and blood pressure during the procedure, so it may not be recommended in people with unstable heart problems.Sep 8, 2020
When should ECT not be used?
Do not use electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) routinely for people with moderate depression but consider it if their depression has not responded to multiple drug treatments and psychological treatment.
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.”.
Why do we use higher voltages in the brain?
Much higher voltages are employed in the modern procedure because muscle relaxants and anesthetics raise the seizure threshold, with more electricity required to produce a seizure. The greater heat and electricity themselves cause more brain cell death, he says.
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.”.
What is the KUBARK counterintelligence manual based on?
The CIA’s 1963 KUBARK Counterintelligence Manual is based on Cameron’s “blank slate” approach of regressing people to “reprogram” their minds. As Naomi Klein pointed out in The Shock Doctrine, Cameron’s work apparently made a strong impression.
What is the brief convulsion?
That “brief convulsion” is the body’s physical reaction to the brain-damaging seizure induced by the electric current applied to the lobes.
Can a psychiatrist use psychotropic medications?
Psychiatrists often fiddle with the doses of psychotropic medications during a course of ECT treatments, which can have a huge effect on how patients report on their moods and mental states. Other studies rely on feedback from doctors, a research method with obvious perils.
Where is the electrode placed in the brain?
An electrode is placed above the temple of the nondominant side of the brain, and a second in the middle of the forehead (this is called unilateral ECT); or one electrode is placed above each temple (this is called bilateral ECT). A very small current is passed through the brain, activating it and producing a seizure.
How often is ECT given?
ECT is usually given 3 times a week. A patient may require as few as 3 or 4 treatments or as many as 12 to 15. Once the family and patient consider that the patient is more or less back to his normal level of functioning, it is usual for the patient to have 1 or 2 additional treatments in order to prevent relapse.
What is ECT testing?
At the request of Scientology (and a few others), they are considering requiring expensive new government testing for a treatment that has been successfully used for years: electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). If the ‘testing’ isn’t done, the treatment will be taken off the market. And that is the goal of Scientologists.
What do Scientologists believe about ECT?
While there is some opposition to ECT from non-Scientologists, Scientologists believe “The concept that a brain-based, chemical imbalance underlies mental illness is false.”. They believe mental illness doesn’t exist and treatment for it is torture. It is their right to believe whatever they want.
How long does it take for ECT to relapse?
Because as many as 20 to 50 percent of the people who respond well to a course of ECT relapse within 6 months, a maintenance treatment of antidepressants, lithium or ECT at monthly or 6 week intervals might be advisable.
How long does a seizure last?
The duration of a clinically effective seizure ranges from 30 seconds to sometimes longer than a minute, and the patient wakes up 10 to 15 minutes later.
Does ECT cause a rise in blood pressure?
During the few seconds following the ECT stimulus there may be temporary drop in blood pressure. This may be followed by a marked increase in heart rate, which may then lead to a rise in blood pressure. Heart rhythm disturbances, not unusual during the period of time, generally subside without complications.
How often do you have to do ECT?
ECT requires a series of treatments, often initiated two to three times a week for a few weeks and then the frequency is tapered down. As the treatment course progresses, short-term memory loss for things recently learned is not uncommon.
How long does it take to get an ECT?
The ECT procedure takes around five to 10 minutes to perform, not including preparation and recovery time. The day before the procedure, you would be placed on dietary restrictions, typically with no food or drink allowed after midnight and only a sip of water permitted in the morning to take medication.
Why do doctors put a blood pressure cuff on the ankle?
A blood pressure cuff inflates around your ankle to prevent the muscle relaxant from entering the foot. This allows the doctor to monitor seizure activity by looking at the "unmedicated" foot. An oxygen mask is placed over your face.
What doctor would you meet with to see if you have had anesthesia?
You may also meet with the anesthesiologist who will inquire whether you have had anesthesia in the past and if there were any adverse reactions.
What happens after a syringe procedure?
After the Procedure. Once the procedure is complete, the effects of the short-acting anesthetic and muscle relaxant will quickly begin to wear off. You will be taken to a recovery area where you will be monitored for any complications.
What is IV line?
Once in the treatment room, an intravenous (IV) line would be inserted into a vein through which the anesthesia, fluids, and other medications will be delivered. You would then be hooked up to various machines to monitor your blood pressure, respiration, heart rate, and brain activity.
Is electroconvulsive therapy safe?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a safe and effective treatment for certain psychiatric disorders such as major depression, catatonia, certain types of psychosis, and sometime for bipolar mania .
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 ...
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.
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 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.
Is ECT effective for schizophrenia?
Yet research indicates that nearly 80 years after its discovery, ECT remains the single most effective therapy for treatment-resistant cases of depression and some cases of bipolar affective disorder and schizophrenia.
What is the most disturbing problem with general anesthesia?
The Ultimate Nightmare. One of the most disturbing - and infamous - problems with modern general anesthesia is its compartmentalization of the drugs. One set of drugs is used to paralyze the body. Another set of drugs is used to render the person unconscious.
What did doctors do before 1800?
Imagine that. "I'm going to have to saw off your foot - have some lettuce.". Doctors, before around 1800, also used techniques to numb a limb, like compressing it to cut off blood flow and sensation, or numbing it with cold.
Why are muscle relaxers important?
Muscle relaxants allowed doctors to intubate patients and keep getting oxygen to them during surgery. They also suppressed the body's natural muscle responses, which kept the patient immobilized and allowed doctors to perform a wider variety of surgeries.
Why is gas so popular?
Now that painless surgeries were on everyone's mind, the gas became popular because it didn't have to knock people out to relieve pain. Unlike chloroform and ether, this gas had legs. It's still used in dental surgery and obstetrics, and it's still abused by people who can get their hands on it.
What was the first muscle relaxant?
A real breakthrough came with muscle relaxants. The original muscle relaxant was curare, a plant derivative used in South America as a poison. One of the major dangers of anesthesia was the suppression the human body's reflexive breathing.
What did the Incas do to help the pain?
The Incas managed to drill holes in the heads of patients with relatviely little pain by chewing coca leaves and spitting into the wounds.
Why do surgeons put cotton wool in their ears?
There was a time when all the pain alleviation involved in surgery was a little cotton wool in the surgeon's ears to keep the screams of the patient from hurting them. Fortunately, things have changed.
How to stop a bite from a child?
Treatment may include: If the bite is bleeding, apply pressure to it with a clean bandage or towel to stop the bleeding. Wash the wound with soap and water under pressure from a faucet for at least 5 minutes, but do not scrub, ...
Can you use butterfly bandages on a bite?
Do not use tape or butterfly bandages to close the wound, as this could trap harmful bacteria in the wound. Many times, human bites are treated with antibiotics to prevent infection. Call your child's healthcare provider to find out if additional treatment or a tetanus booster is needed.
Can a human bite be infected?
Human bites can easily become infected due to the number of bacteria in the human mouth. In fact, human bite wounds are more likely to become infected than dog or cat bites. A healthcare provider should check any human bite that breaks the skin.
What happens if you wear a bite block?
Lost or worn blocks. Some bite blocks are made of materials that can wear away over time. If your bite blocks are wearing down so much that they’re no longer keeping your teeth apart, or if one has come off the tooth surface entirely, it’s important to call your orthodontist.
Why do you need a biting block?
Bite blocks, also called ramps or turbos, are tiny devices attached to your teeth to keep the upper and lower teeth from touching when you bite down. Orthodontists install bite blocks to allow your teeth to move into correct alignment and to keep you from biting off the brackets on your braces. Bite blocks can cause some discomfort, especially ...
What is an orthodontic brace?
Orthodontic braces usually consist of metal bands around your back teeth with an attached wire that runs through brackets on each tooth. These brackets all work together to pull your teeth into a healthier alignment. In some cases, additional devices are needed to achieve good results. Bite blocks, which are sometimes called ramps or turbos, ...
Why do braces hurt?
When you first get your braces, you may have some pain or soreness as your teeth begin to move into new positions in your mouth. Bite blocks may cause some additional discomfort because your teeth only touch where your bite plates are, so the force you exert to chew is localized in those areas.
What are bite blocks?
Bite blocks, which are sometimes called ramps or turbos, are one addition that can help with your treatment. Bite blocks are used to prevent your upper teeth and lower teeth from touching to avoid breakage of brackets when you’re biting. Read on to learn more about bite blocks and how they’re used.
How long do you need to wear bite blocks?
How long you need to wear them depends on how quickly your teeth move into healthier alignment. For many people, bite blocks are only in place for 6 to 9 months, but your treatment time could be different.
What is the best pain reliever for a swollen ear?
Over-the-counter pain medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) will relieve much of the pain. Sometimes, an anesthetic gel such as Anbesol or Orajel can help. You may also need to adjust your diet to softer foods while you’re getting used to braces and bite blocks.