Shock therapy, known medically as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), is a treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric conditions. ECT is generally offered when other treatments are ineffective or there is a need for rapid response.
What is shock therapy used to treat?
Shock therapy is also performed to improve the condition of the following disorders:1. Acute mania. Catatonia. Occasionally, with types of schizophrenia. As a last resort for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, Tourette syndrome.
What is shock therapy (ECT)?
Shock therapy is now known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT. The brain is still not well understood, nor is the reason for the treatment effects ECT (shock) therapy has on some individuals.
What are the effects of shock therapy for depression?
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. 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
What are the risks of shock therapy?
Risks of shock therapy include slow heart beat (bradycardia) and rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), as well as memory loss, confusion and other cognitive effects. Persons at high risk include those with recent heart attack, uncontrolled blood pressure, brain tumors and previous spinal injuries.
What are the types of shock therapy?
Generally speaking, there are two types of ECT: Bilateral ECT, in which the electrodes are placed on both sides of the head. This is designed to affect the entire brain. Unilateral ECT, in which one electrode placed on top of the head and the other on one temple, usually the right.
What is shock therapy called today?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure, done under general anesthesia, in which small electric currents are passed through the brain, intentionally triggering a brief seizure.
Do psychologists still use shock therapy?
The only form in current clinical practice is electroconvulsive therapy. Other forms, no longer in use, include: Insulin shock therapy, introduced by Manfred Sakel in 1933 for the treatment of schizophrenia.
When is shock treatment given?
Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT for short, is a treatment that involves sending an electric current through your brain, causing a brief surge of electrical activity within your brain (also known as a seizure). The aim of the treatment is to relieve the symptoms of some mental health problems.
What is the difference between electroshock therapy and electroconvulsive therapy?
TMS is an outpatient procedure, in which the patient stays awake the entire time and can be performed in a doctor's office in less than 30 minutes. ECT is a procedure typically administered in a hospital with the patient sedated under anesthesia and can require an inpatient stay.
Is shock therapy still used for schizophrenia?
Available literature, including meta-analysis and systematic reviews, suggest that ECT is a safe and effective treatment in patients with schizophrenia. However, despite the available evidence, it is highly underutilised and is often used as one of the last resort among patients with schizophrenia.
What is a shock therapy in psychology?
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. ECT involves a brief electrical stimulation of the brain while the patient is under anesthesia.
Who qualifies for ECT?
Who can get ECT in California? Any adult age 18 or older with an appropriate clinical diagnosis and who is capable of giving voluntary informed consent can receive ECT. Others, including adolescents between 13 and 17 years of age, may receive ECT after special reviews and legal procedures are followed.
Is electroshock therapy legal?
2 health professionals have to agree that you should have ECT if you lack mental capacity to consent to treatment whilst under the Mental Health Act. You can make an advance decision to refuse ECT in the future. An advanced decision is legally binding.
Does shock therapy work for bipolar?
Investigators found that among bipolar patients who fail to respond to standard treatments, ECT can be a lifesaver, preventing out-of-control mood swings and dramatically lowering suicide risk.
What is the difference between psychotherapy and biomedical therapy?
Psychotherapy is a psychological treatment that employs various methods to help someone overcome personal problems or to attain personal growth. Biomedical therapy involves medication and/or medical procedures to treat psychological disorders.
Why is ECT used for depression?
With ECT, an electrical stimulation is delivered to the brain and causes a seizure. For reasons that doctors don't completely understand, this seizure helps relieve the symptoms of depression. ECT does not cause any structural damage to the brain.
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.
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
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.
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.
Can dementia patients take psychiatric medications?
For people with dementia who become extremely agitated and aggressive. For women who can't take needed psychiatric medications because they're pregnant or nursing. For older adults who suffer extreme difficulty with side effects of needed psychiatric meds. For people who would rather have ECT than taking medications.
Can ECT be administered without anesthesia?
Also, the seizure is extremely brief. ECT is no longer administered without general anesthesia. One other area that has changed recently is the type and use of equipment.
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 ...
Does psychosurgery affect memory?
Following a course of treatment there is usually an impairment of memory, varying from a slight tendency to forget names to a severe confusional state. The memory defect diminishes gradually over several months.
What is the Purpose of Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is used to understand your mental health condition as well as your moods, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. Throughout treatment, you will learn healthy habits to take control of your life as well as coping skills to deal with challenges and problematic situations.
Types of Psychotherapy
When it comes to any type of mental health treatment, approaches can vary depending on the associated behaviors and moods. Psychotherapy is no different. After talking with the doctor, they will decide which approach or combination of approaches will best benefit you.
How to Make Your Psychotherapy a Success
With any of the types of psychotherapy, you can expect to understand your behaviors and emotions as well as learn to regain a sense of control within your life through healthy coping skills.
What is psychoanalytic therapy?
Psychoanalytic therapy is a type of therapy originally based on Sigmund Freud’s theory of mind, or psychoanalysis. This therapy work to uncover unconscious thoughts that may inadvertently affect your current behaviors, emotions, and perceptions.
Who performs psychoanalytical therapy?
Psychoanalytical therapy is performed by a specially trained doctor, psychologist, or clinical social worker. Trained psychoanalysts spend years in classes, working with patients under supervision, and getting psychoanalytical therapy themselves.
How long does psychoanalytic therapy last?
Psychoanalytical therapy is usually a long-term treatment that may last years. Fifty-minute sessions are typically scheduled from one to four times per week. Psychodynamic therapy is similar to psychoanalysis but usually applied in the short term.
What is the difference between psychotherapy and psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is just another term for talk therapy . The word “therapy” comes from the Greek “therapeia” (healing), while “psycho” comes from “psykhē” (mind, spirit, and faculty of reason). In general, therapy consists of a few or many sessions, where you meet with a trained counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, ...
What is a therapy session?
In general, therapy consists of a few or many sessions, where you meet with a trained counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, or other mental healthcare professional. During these sessions, you and your therapist work together to identify those aspects you want or need to work on the most.
How long does IPT treatment last?
IPT is a short-term treatment that usually lasts between 12 and 16 weeks. You’ll probably attend weekly 50-minute sessions during this time. Treatment is usually divided into three phases: Initial: lasts about 3 weeks and focuses on gathering information and identifying the key elements to work on.
How many sessions of BEP therapy?
Brief eclectic psychotherapy (BEP) is often geared toward people with PTSD symptoms. It usually consists of 16 weekly sessions and addresses specific trauma symptoms as well as the emotional impact of trauma.
What is psychotherapy for mental health?
Combined with medication, or as a solo treatment, psychotherapy is often recommended as an effective way to manage and improve the symptoms of mental health conditions such as: 4. Depression. Anxiety.
What is psychodynamic therapy?
Psychodynamic therapy. This approach to therapy looks to help clients understand more about themselves by examining the unconscious meanings of actions they engage in. Psychodynamic therapy often uses the therapeutic relations as a way to explore and change patient's problematic ways of reasoning, feeling, or behaving.
Why is family therapy important?
This form of therapy may also be helpful for families that have experienced major changes such as the loss of a member, or a sibling, parent, etc who may require additional care due to an illness. Family therapy looks to encourage healthy understanding and communication between members.
What is talk therapy?
Table of Contents. Psychotherapy or talk therapy is a major form of mental health care. This treatment is made up of a number of interventions that relieve psychological, behavioral, and sometimes even physical conditions that affect mental wellbeing. In most cases, talk therapy takes place in meetings between a patient ...
What is cognitive therapy?
Cognitive therapy. This form of therapy emphasizes an examination of patient's thought patterns. Cognitive therapy looks to change negative and dysfunctional ways of thinking to avoid negative and dysfunctional ways of acting. By modifying these thoughts, patients can change how they feel and act in healthier ways.
Why is it important to go to therapy?
This is why therapy is an advisable option to improve your psychological wellbeing from childhood, all the way to old age. However, there are particular instances where going to therapy becomes especially important for the sake of your welfare. These include: 8. Where you constantly feel helpless or sad.
What is behavioral therapy?
Behavioral therapy adopts a number of techniques to help with identifying and changing negative or self-destructive behaviors in patients. This form of therapy is problem focused, and focuses on the influence of different types of learning and conditioning on a patient's behaviors.
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.
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.
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 ...
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.
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 TMS better than ECT?
However, TMS is the only technique that researchers have directly compared with ECT, and ECT produced better outcomes for people with depression.
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.
Terminology
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 explain how ECT works in treatment.
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.
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. A paralyzing agent called succinylcholine is then administered t…
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 signs will be monitored closely after the shock treatmen…
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
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 (tachycardia), as well as memory loss, confusion and other cognitive effe…
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 is not as bright for schizophrenia, which is more difficul…