Treatment FAQ

when is shock treatment an option for depression

by Ryder Senger DVM Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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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.

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What are the side effects of shock treatment?

What is the outlook for shock?

  • Generally, hypovolemic shock and anaphylactic shock respond well to medical treatment if initiated early.
  • Septic shock is a serious condition with a mortality rate of 24% to 50% according to some estimates. ...
  • Cardiogenic shock has a poor prognosis, with only 1/3 of patients surviving. ...

More items...

What is the Best Shock Treatment?

Shock Treatment

  1. Lay the Person Down, if Possible. Elevate the person's feet about 12 inches unless head, neck, or back is injured or you suspect broken hip or leg bones.
  2. Begin CPR, if Necessary. For a child, start CPR for children. ...
  3. Treat Obvious Injuries
  4. Keep Person Warm and Comfortable. Loosen restrictive clothing. ...
  5. Follow Up. ...

How does shock therapy help depression?

The electromagnet painlessly delivers a magnetic pulse that stimulates nerve cells in the region of your brain involved in mood control and depression. It's thought to activate regions of the brain that have decreased activity in depression.

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.

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Can shock therapy can be used to treat depression?

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 is the success rate of ECT for depression?

These sessions improve depression in 70 to 90 percent of patients, a response rate much higher than that of antidepressant drugs. Although ECT is effective, its benefits are short-lived.

Is ECT effective for major depression?

“ECT is the most effective treatment available for severe and treatment-resistant depression, but it requires anesthesia and can cause side effects like memory loss,” says Irving Michael Reti, M.B.B.S., M.D., director of the Brain Stimulation Program and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the ...

When should ECT not be used?

The following strategies should not be used routinely: augmentation of an antidepressant with a benzodiazepine for more than 2 weeks as there is a risk of dependence. augmentation of an antidepressant with buspirone*, carbamazepine*, lamotrigine* or valproate* as there is insufficient evidence for their use.

Who is a good candidate for ECT?

People who have had ECT before and responded well are good candidates for ECT. Other first-line indications for the procedure include people who are catatonic or suffering from a form of depression known as psychotic depression (depression associated with delusions and hallucinations).

What happens if ECT doesn't work for depression?

If nothing else has helped, including ECT, and you are still severely depressed, you may be offered neurosurgery for mental disorder (NMD), deep brain stimulation (DBS) or vagus nerve stimulation (VNS).

Is shock therapy still used in 2021?

July 19, 2021, at 8:14 a.m. MONDAY, July 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- "Shock" therapy often helps lift severe depression, but fear and stigma can deter patients from getting it. Now a large new study is confirming the treatment's safety.

What are some of the drawbacks to ECT?

Cons of ECT: Confusion post-treatment. Typically not well tolerated in the elderly population. Memory loss (retrograde amnesia) which usually improves within a couple months of the procedure. Physical side effects related to tension (nausea, headache, jaw aches, and muscle aches.

Can 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.

Why is ECT a last resort?

ECT is too often considered as a last resort, rather than as a first-line treatment, a status that some states have even written into law. ECT's controversial history and the consequent reluctance of patients to accept it without trying other alternatives may also be a barrier to its increased use.

Is ECT worth the risk?

Risk Assessment of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Clinical Routine: A 3-Year Analysis of Life-Threatening Events in More Than 3,000 Treatment Sessions. Background: Extensive research has reported that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can be highly effective in approximately 80% of patients suffering from depression.

For which group is ECT not recommended?

ECT is not recommended for ongoing management of schizophrenia, or as a routine treatment for mild to moderate depression. You can read full guidelines on the NICE website for using ECT to treat catatonia, mania or schizophrenia, and as one of the treatments for moderate or severe depression.

What is electroshock therapy?

Typically, electroshock therapy is a last-ditch effort used when all other treatment options have failed to offer symptom relief to those suffering from severe depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or other serious and debilitating mental illnesses . The current “modified” procedure for administering electric shock therapy is certainly more humane than earlier variations, however, the treatment still comes with a rather extensive list of long-term and short-term side effects. When faced with these possible side effects, patients are often forced to make hard choices about whether or not electroshock therapy is worth the risk.

What is TMS treatment?

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an increasingly popular noninvasive treatment for individuals suffering from severe and treatment-resistant depression.

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 are the side effects of shock therapy?

The downside of shock therapy includes side effects such as headache, upset stomach, and muscle aches. Those are the most common, NIMH says. You may have memory problems, especially memory lapses “around the time of the treatment.”.

What happens after a shock?

Following the shocks, patients generally lapse into incoherence or a zombielike state. In six films, patients become markedly worse or die.”. But the treatment for severe mental disorders has been used, researchers say, in thousands of cases over the years with positive results, albeit sometimes with temporary side effects.

How effective is ECT?

ECT has been found to be effective in 50 to 60 percent of severe depression cases in which antidepressant drugs were ineffective. Such drugs have no effect on about a third of patients with severe depression.

Is shock therapy safe?

Thousands of cases have found shock therapy to be safe and effective, but with some side effects that dissipate over time. Learn about the pros and cons. You may have a stark view of shock treatment, as indelibly depicted in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”.

Does ECT help with depression?

One review noted that ECT increases the level of hormone s that are “disturbed” in depression. “Others have suggested that the electricity stimulates neural growth and helps to rebuild brain areas that are protective against depression,” according to Scientific American.

Is UBPS effective in treating depression?

A recent review of studies on UPBS found that that traditional ECT is “slightly” more effective in treating depression and requires fewer treatments, but that UBPS was nearly as effective with fewer cognitive side effects. ECT has been found to be effective in 50 to 60 percent of severe depression cases in which antidepressant drugs were ...

Is UPBS safe for mental health?

Used for about 70 years, shock treatment has seen many significant improvements — UPBS being the latest – and has been found to be “safe and effective,” according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

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Terminology

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\"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.
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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.
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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
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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…
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