Treatment FAQ

what is the purpose of shock treatment

by Prof. Monte Jacobs IV Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can provide rapid, significant improvements in severe symptoms of several mental health conditions
mental health conditions
Mental illness, also called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors.
https://www.mayoclinic.org › symptoms-causes › syc-20374968
. 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

Full Answer

What is the best treatment for shock?

If the person is not breathing or breathing seems dangerously weak:

  • For a child, start CPR for children.
  • For an adult, start adult CPR.
  • Continue CPR until help arrives or the person wakes up.

What is the purpose of shock therapy?

  • Suicidal
  • Self-injurious
  • Refusing to eat or drink
  • Refusing to take medication as prescribed
  • A danger to themselves
  • Psychotic
  • Pregnant or otherwise can't take standard medications

What are the side effects of shock therapy (ECT)?

What are the side effects of ECT?

  • Memory loss. Many people experience memory loss after having ECT. Some people find this only lasts for a short time and their memories gradually return as they recover from ECT.
  • Immediate side effects. You may experience other side effects immediately after treatment. ...
  • Longer-term side effects. Was this page useful? ...

What are the treatment options for shock?

  • Examine the person visually but do not touch them. ...
  • Call 911 or have someone else call 911
  • Check for a source of electricity and turn it off if possible. ...
  • When you are sure you will be safe from electrical shock, check the victim's breathing and pulse. ...

More items...

image

Is electroshock therapy effective?

4 myths about electroconvulsive therapy for depression. Electroconvulsive therapy can help patients with treatment-resistant depression have more good days. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the most effective treatments for severe mental health conditions, most commonly treatment-resistant depression.

Are shock treatments still used today?

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.

What are the long term side effects of electric shock therapy?

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been controversially associated with long-lasting memory problems. Verbal learning and memory deficits are commonly reported in studies of people with bipolar disorder (BD).

What is the success rate of ECT therapy?

What is the Success Rate of Electroconvulsive Therapy? 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.

What is insulin shock therapy?

Until the discovery of the tranquilizing drugs, variations of insulin-shock therapy (also called insulin-coma therapy) were commonly used in the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions. With insulin-shock treatment, the patient is given increasingly large doses of insulin, which reduce the sugar content ...

What is the purpose of electroshock therapy?

Electroconvulsive, or electroshock, therapy, introduced in Rome in 1938 by U. Cerletti and L. Bini, has been widely used in treating disturbances in which severe depression is the predominant symptom.

How effective is insulin shock?

Insulin shock had its greatest effectiveness with schizophrenic patients whose illness had lasted less than two years ( the rate of spontane ous recovery from schizophrenia also is highest in the first two years of the illness). Insulin-shock therapy also had more value in the treatment of paranoid and catatonic schizophrenia than in ...

What is ECT therapy?

Therefore, ECT therapy is most commonly used in severe major depression or bipolar disorder that have failed to respond to traditional methods of cognitive-behavioral therapy, medication, or talk therapy. The most common side effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are:

Why do doctors use ECT?

Doctors these days are much more hesitant to use ECT than passed, if for no other reason than because people are typically opposed. In addition, ECT is required by law to be used only by your consent or under the most severe conditions, such as: 1 To save your life 2 If urgently needed to prevent a rapid worsening of your condition

Can you get shock treatment with ECT?

If your doctor has suggested ECT as a possible treatment for you or a loved one, you need to make sure you understand what your specific treatment will be done and what results you can achieve from it. However, you may be worried that you'll be given shock treatment against your will if you seek treatment for psychiatric problems. That's why it's important to find out all you can as soon as possible.

Is shock therapy safe?

Risks And Side Effects Of Shock Therapy. Modern ECT is a very safe procedure, but there are a few risks and side effects. Because this is a medical procedure that uses general anesthesia, you may suffer medical complications. In addition, the treatment always causes increases in heart rate and blood pressure.

Shock Therapy: Process, Preparation, Outcomes and more

Krystina is a Technical Writer with a background in healthcare. She has spent the last 10 years working for an internationally recognized medical facility where she found her passion for making complicated topics easier to understand.

The Electroconvulsive Therapy Process

An ECT treatment regimen will typically include sessions two to three days a week for a total of six to 12 treatments. The schedule works out to about one month of treatment, although the course may continue for longer.

How to Prepare for Your Treatment

ECT sessions generally do not require much preparation, though you will need to go over the specifics with your doctor. Your doctor may give you orders to follow based on other health conditions you have or medications you take.

Potential Outcomes of Shock Therapy

Most people who undergo ECT will see a noticeable change in their symptoms. Some people will notice an immediate improvement after one session. However, it is more common to not see or feel a significant difference in symptoms for several sessions.

Summary

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can be used to treat major depressive disorde r, bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric conditions. It is often considered when other treatments have not helped.

A Word From Verywell

If you are wondering if shock therapy might be a treatment option for you, discuss it with your psychiatrist. While ECT can provide lasting relief from the symptoms of MDD, bipolar disorder, and similar conditions, it's not the right choice for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Even though ECT has been around for nearly 90 years, scientists still are not quite sure why or how it benefits some people with depression.

What to do if you are in shock?

Do not move the person unless there is danger. Reassure the person. Do not give anything to eat or drink. 5. Follow Up. At the hospital, the person will be given oxygen and intravenous fluids. Blood test, urine tests, heart test and xrays and/or CT scans may be done. Other treatment will depend on the cause of shock.

How to protect yourself from a syringe?

4. Keep Person Warm and Comfortable 1 Loosen restrictive clothing. 2 Cover with a coat or blanket. 3 Keep the person still. Do not move the person unless there is danger. 4 Reassure the person. 5 Do not give anything to eat or drink.

What does shocking a spa mean?

Shocking a spa means applying an ample dose of chlorine (sodium dichlor) or non-chlorine shock (potassium monopersulfate or MPS). One purpose of this treatment is to break-down organic waste contaminants which cause odor and cloudy water. After treatment, water quality and clarity is often completely restored.

What is non chlorine shock?

Non-Chlorine Shock - regular use for maintenance. Non-chlorine shock is monopersulfate compound, often called MPS for short. It is an oxygen-based shock, preferred by many because it has little or no odor. Our OxySpa non-chlorine shock is 100% compatible with chlorine, bromine, Cleanwater Blue, Nature2, Frog products, and dichlor shock.

Does shocking turn chlorine back to chlorine?

If irritating chloramines are present, shocking also converts them back to active chlorine. If bromine is being used, shocking activates the bromide ion, which by itself has no disinfecting capability. It then becomes hypobromous acid in water, a good sanitizer.

Is shocking a good sanitizer?

It then becomes hypobromous acid in water, a good sanitizer. Both of these shocking products are 100% compatible with the alternative sanitizer systems that we offer. Regardless of which sanitizer system you use, periodic shocking is essential for clear, clean hot tub water. It will also allow your sanitizer to perform at peak efficiency.

What is shock treatment?

For other uses, see Shock Treatment (disambiguation) and Shock therapy (disambiguation). Shock Treatment is a 1981 American musical comedy film directed by Jim Sharman, and co-written by Sharman and Richard O'Brien. It is a follow-up to the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show .

Why was shock treatment condemned?

Gradually, however, Shock Treatment did build up a cult following all its own and, as Ebert wrote, many contemporary reviewers remark that it was initially condemned in part because it was too ahead of its time, being a prescient satire of reality television.

How much did shock treatment cost?

Budget. $3.5 million. Shock Treatment is a 1981 American musical comedy film directed by Jim Sharman, and co-written by Sharman and Richard O'Brien. It is a follow-up to the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show . While not an outright sequel, the film does feature several characters from the previous film, most portrayed by different actors, ...

Was the shock treatment a success?

It never received a full general theatrical first-run release. Due to its increased budget and box office failure, Shock Treatment was an even bigger flop than Rock y Horror ' s original general release in 1975.

Did De Young play in shock treatment?

Upon learning that Bostwick was unable to participate in Shock Treatment, Sharman tracked down De Young and gave him the role. This afforded De Young the opportunity to reunite with Harper, with whom he had co-starred in a stage production of Hair.

What is electro shock therapy?

Electroshock therapy, also known as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), is a treatment for severe major depression, bipolar depression, and other mental health conditions. Psychiatrists may recommend ECT when a person does not respond well to other treatments. ECT uses electric currents to stimulate a person’s brain to induce a controlled seizure.

How does ECT work?

ECT uses electric currents to stimulate a person’s brain to induce a controlled seizure. Researchers do not exactly know how ECT works, but one theory is that it could regulate neurotransmitter activity. This article looks at how ECT works, whether it is an effective treatment, and its controversial history. It also discusses some alternative ...

Why do doctors recommend ECT?

However, doctors recommend ECT for some people because it is low risk and carries few side effects. Researchers are still not sure how ECT works, but they understand that it has many effects on the brain, including increasing blood flow and triggering the release of neurotransmitters and hormones.

Is ECT a good treatment?

ECT is an effective treatment option for people who do not feel better after taking medication or going through therapy. For most people, it is a low risk procedure that has a powerful antidepressant effect, which could last for years#N#Trusted Source#N#.

Is ECT a good treatment for schizophrenia?

ECT can be an effective therapy for treatment-re sistant mental health conditions , including depression, schizophrenia, and catatonia. It is a very old psychiatric treatment and has a controversial history. However, doctors recommend ECT for some people because it is low risk and carries few side effects.

What is shock incarceration?

Also called boot-camp prison, shock incarceration is a structured short-term alternative sentence given to first-time convicts in an effort to get them off a criminal path.

What is the eligibility for shock incarceration?

Eligibility for a shock incarceration program depends on an inmate’s age, the length of sentence, and whether the offender is considered a danger to others or self. Minimum-security, nonviolent inmates are typically the only ones considered.

image

Mechanism

  • The brain is still not well understood, nor is the reason for the treatment effects ECT (shock) therapy has on some individuals. It is known that ECT affects hormones, neuropeptides, neurotrophic factors, and neurotransmitters in the brain. All of this may come together to explai…
See more on healthyplace.com

Preparation

  • A full physical is generally needed before shock therapy. Because general anesthesia will be administered, one should not eat or drink 8-12 hours before the shock treatment. This helps to prevent any vomiting during the procedure. Other exams like an electrocardiogram (ECG) may also be given before ECT to ensure the procedure is safe and appropriate.
See more on healthyplace.com

Treatment

  • 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. An anesthesiologist administers anesthesia and after you are asleep, places a tube in your throat to help you breathe…
See more on healthyplace.com

Results

  • 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 of treatments and whether ECT is offered at all. Your vital si…
See more on healthyplace.com

Uses

  • It is most common to see shock therapy used in severe cases of depression. Shock therapy is also performed to improve the condition of the following disorders:1
See more on healthyplace.com

Risks

  • The complications associated with ECT / shock therapy are often related to electrode placement with bilateral placement (an electrode by each temple) typically showing greater unwanted cognitive effects than unilateral placement (one electrode at the temple and the other on the forehead). Risks of shock therapy include slow heart beat (bradycardia) and rapid heartbeat (tac…
See more on healthyplace.com

Prognosis

  • Shock treatment for depression often produces a dramatic improvement in symptoms, especially in elderly individuals, sometimes during the first week of treatment. While it is estimated many of these patients will experience a future return of depression symptoms, the prognosis for each episode of depression is good. Mania also often responds well to shock treatment. The picture i…
See more on healthyplace.com

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9