Common Causes
ECT is done in a hospital setting while you are under general anesthesia. Patients typically receive treatments that are initially a few times per week and then space out to every week for approximately six to 12 weeks. ECT itself takes about five to 10 minutes, with added time for preparation and recovery.
Related Conditions
Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia provides expert electroconvulsive therapy treatment for those suffering from severe depression, psychosis & other symptoms.
When to stop ECT treatments?
ECT Service (Electroconvulsive Therapy) Part of Strong Memorial Hospital. Our ECT Service (or Electroconvulsive Therapy) is designed to treat individuals with severe or recurrent depression. This can be an illness related to a diagnosis of major depression or bipolar disorder. Severe depression may include symptoms of catatonia, anxiety, or psychosis.
How effective is ECT therapy?
For ECT evaluations, please contact the admissions and appointments office at 1-800-525-5188 or 734-764-9190. A clinical summary of the patient's course of illness, along with a record of therapies tried, is extremely helpful for the evaluation. ECT staff and faculty
How many ECT treatments are needed?
The Menninger Clinic 12301 Main Street Houston, TX 77035 713-275-5000 800-351-9058 www.MenningerClinic.com Advancing treatment. Transforming lives.
How much does ECT treatment cost?
Typically, ECT (whether inpatient or outpatient) is given two to three times a week for a total of six to twelve sessions. Some patients may need more or fewer treatments. 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 ...
What is the cost of ECT treatment?
ECT treatments cost $300 to $1,000 per treatment, with an initial course requiring five to 15 treatments followed by 10 to 20 maintenance treatments per year, the researchers noted. That means the annual cost can be more than $10,000, compared with a cost of several hundred dollars for many antidepressant medications.May 9, 2018
How do you get ECT?
Your doctor may offer you ECT if they think that it will improve your symptoms. You don't have to agree to treatment if you don't want it. Even if you are under the Mental Health Act. Doctors can give you ECT without your agreement in an emergency or if it is in your best interests.
Is ECT done in the hospital?
Each year hundreds of patients are treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. This procedure can be done on an inpatient or outpatient basis. Johns Hopkins now provides ECT treatment with ultra-brief pulses to reduce cognitive side-effects.
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.
Does ECT damage the brain?
Despite many scientific and governmental authorities having concluded that ECT does not cause brain damage, there is significant evidence that ECT has indeed caused brain damage in some patients, both historically and recently, and evidence that it always causes some form or degree of brain damage.
Who should not get ECT?
Not everyone is a candidate for treatment even if they believe ECT could help them. For example, children under age eleven cannot undergo ECT for mental health disorders. People with heart conditions and people who cannot handle short-acting sedatives or muscle relaxers should not undergo ECT treatments.
Does ECT worsen anxiety?
ECT may have a role in people who have comorbid depression and anxiety. The concern of some psychiatrists is that while ECT may help with depressive symptoms, it could worsen anxiety symptoms, including obsessional thoughts or panic attacks.Mar 22, 2020
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.
Does ECT help ADHD?
"Those circuits in the brain affecting emotions and behavior can be stimulated with this device and affect the ADHD itself," Dr. Borenstein added. Double blind studies of the device in 62 children ages seven to 12 found a 44-percent improvement in ADHD symptoms.Apr 23, 2019
What mental illness does ECT treat?
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.
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.
Does ECT help with anxiety?
Electroconvulsive therapy is effective in the acute treatment of major depressive disorder patients associated with anxiety symptoms. Anxiety symptoms improved less than depression symptoms during acute electroconvulsive therapy.Jul 8, 2019
What is electroconvulsive therapy?
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) If you or someone you love suffers from a severe behavioral health condition and other treatments have not worked, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can often provide rapid relief to help you feel better and improve your quality of life. ECT can help symptoms of severe depression, bipolar disorder, mania and more. ...
How long does it take to get an ECT?
ECT itself takes about five to 10 minutes, with added time for preparation and recovery.
What are the side effects of ECT?
Side Effects. Risks and side effects may include confusion, memory loss, physical side effects and medical complications. These risks will vary by patient. Discuss your ECT treatment plan and its potential risks and side effects with your doctor.
What do you do before ECT?
Before ECT, you receive medicine to relax you (muscle relaxant). You also receive a short-acting anesthetic to minimize any pain. The medical team places electrodes on your scalp to monitor your brain activity and deliver the electric current.
How does alcohol affect us?
Alcohol affects us in many ways – both helpful and harmful. Just a glass a day can help prevent type 2 diabetes, heart disease and gallstones. Much more can cause cancer, liver and kidney disease, and brain damage. Research is key to understanding alcohol’s affect on our bodies, families and society.
Is ECT safe for depression?
ECT – Safe and Effective. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure that passes a small electric current through your brain to treat depression and other debilitating behavioral health illnesses . In many cases, ECT can significantly reduce or even reverse symptoms such as severe depression, suicidal thoughts, mania and catatonia.
Can ECT be done in a hospital?
You may be a candidate for ECT if medication or other treatments have not worked. ECT is done in a hospital setting while you are under general anesthesia.
Electroconvulsive Therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy, also known as ECT or electroshock therapy, may be a viable treatment program for consenting adult patients with severe depression who are not responding to anti-depressant medications. It is also sometimes used for patients diagnosed with psychosis, catatonia, or bipolar disorder.
Breaking through Misconceptions About ECT
In the past, electroshock therapy had more severe side effects that caused many patients to reject it as a treatment option. In recent years, there have been many improvements in ECT. Temporary side effects of today’s ECT may include:
Electroconvulsive Therapy Treatment
Einstein’s electroconvulsive therapy program for patients in the Philadelphia area require several sessions (typically three per week) to realize the full therapeutic benefit of treatment. Usually, a course of six to 12 treatments is required over two to four weeks.
What is ECT therapy?
The Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Program specializes in administering ECT to those patients for whom such treatment is indicated, (such as patients with severe mood disorders). The program strives to standardize the methods of ECT application while promoting the highest level of proficiency of this treatment. The program is heavily invested in promoting in-depth research into ECT's clinical effectiveness and technique.
How to contact ECT?
For ECT evaluations, please contact the admissions and appointments office at 1-800-525-5188 or 734-764-9190.
What is ECT in Michigan?
The ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) Program at the University of Michigan was originally begun by Leon Grunhaus, M.D., in 1986. We continue to be a major site for ECT referrals in Michigan and perform over 1100 ECT treatments per year. ECT is used in the treatment of severe depression and other psychiatric disorders.
How long does it take to taper ECT?
When repeated episodes of depression occur, your doctors may recommend a taper of ECT over a course of several weeks to months. Modern clinical practice and recent research have found that Maintenance ECT is often very effective in keeping patients well.
What are the risks of ECT?
The potential risks include cardiac or respiratory arrest. The risk of respiratory or cardiac arrest resulting in death during ECT is negligible (less than 1 in 10,000 cases). This risk is typically regarded as being similar to the risks of having an outpatient surgical procedure under anesthesia.
How long does it take for memory to return after ECT?
Your ability to remember new information will generally return to your normal level within a few weeks to a few months after the treatments are finished. The second type of memory loss that may occur involves memory loss for past events. Recent past events (2 to 6 weeks before treatment) are more sensitive to ECT.
Who supervises ECT?
Psychiatrists and anesthetists supervise the administration of ECT. Both inpatients and outpatients can receive ECT treatments. Following the completion of a course of ECT treatment, staff stay involved in the long-term planning of psychiatric follow-up care.
How does ECT work?
Why does ECT work? No one is sure how ECT helps certain psychiatric disorders. 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 ...
How can families help with ECT?
Families can help by providing a gentle reminder of the day and date and that feeling confused is to be expected. Family members should inform the nurse of any concern they have about their loved one. View a Powerpoint Presentation for Families about ECT.
How long does an ECT procedure last?
How long is an ECT procedure? A single ECT session usually lasts one hour. This includes the time the patient will be in the treatment room (approximately 15-20 minutes) and the time spent in the recovery room (approximately 20-30 minutes). Typically, ECT (whether inpatient or outpatient) is given two to three times a week for a total ...
How long does it take to drive after ECT?
Usually this takes about 20 to 25 minutes. Patients who are given ECT on an outpatient basis must have someone drive them home after the procedure and stay with them until they go to sleep at night. People should not drive in the 24 hours following ECT.
What are the two electrodes used for?
Two of these electrodes are for monitoring the brain waves. The other two are for delivering a short, controlled set of electrical pulses for a few seconds. The electrical pulses must produce a generalized seizure to be effective.
How long does it take to sleep before ECT?
During the procedure, the patient receives a short acting anesthetic agent which puts the patient to sleep for approximately 5-10 minutes.
Can memories be lost after ECT?
Memories formed closer to the time of ECT are at greater risk of being lost while those formed long before ECT are at less risk of being lost. The ability to form new memories is also impaired after a course of ECT treatments but this ability usually makes a full recovery in the weeks and months following the last treatment.
Why do people need ECT?
Maintenance ECT: Why Some People Need Continuation ECT. Electroconvulsive therapy, once known as shock therapy, is a safe and effective treatment for depression and other mental illnesses. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is most often used in cases of severe, intractable, hard to treat (treatment-resistant) depression.
How long does ECT last?
Generally, ECT is a short-term treatment where the patient receives 6-12 treatments over the course of 2-4 weeks. However, in some cases, continuation ECT or maintenance ECT is used. These two therapies continue ECT beyond the initial 6-12 sessions used in acute treatment.
What is maintenance ECT?
Maintenance ECT consists of ECT treatments given infrequently over a long period of time after the index series and continuation ECT. The goal of maintenance ECT is to prevent the reoccurrence of the mental illness.
Is ECT effective for relapse?
Relapse after a positive response to ECT is common. Most frequently, prevention of relapse is accomplished through the use of medication but continuation ECT has also been shown effective for the prevention of illness relapse.
How long does it take for a patient to get back on medication after ECT?
After patients have received a course of ECT they're usually placed back on medication. However patients given medication after ECT have about a 50/50 chance of relapsing or having another episode of depression. Usually this episode occurs within one to three months after ECT -- but it can occur within the six months after ECT. ...
How many times a week is electroconvulsive therapy?
Email this article. — -- Question: How long will I need to do electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and what is maintenance ECT? Answer: ECT is usually given two or three times a week -- usually on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Typically the ECT treatment course lasts eight to 12 treatments -- sometimes as few as six, ...
How long can you be on maintenance ECT?
Maintenance ECT involves getting treatments every two weeks to every month, usually for a period of six months to a year. But patients have gone on maintenance ECT for up to three years, depending on their response. ...
How many treatments are there for ECT?
Typically the ECT treatment course lasts eight to 12 treatments -- sometimes as few as six, sometimes as many as 15 treatments can occur in a course. Your doctor will determine how many you need depending on your response. After patients have received a course of ECT they're usually placed back on medication.
Why It's Done
Sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbance in the brain which can cause changes in behavior, movements, feelings, and consciousness.
Seizures is not always related to an underlying condition. It may be caused by:
- Lack of sleep
- Alcohol or drug use (amphetamines or cocaine)
- Medications such as certain pain relievers, antidepressants or smoking cessation therapies, that lower the seizure threshold
- Lack of oxygen during birth
- High stress
- Rapidly flashing lights
Risks
How You Prepare
What You Can Expect
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can provide rapid, significant improvements in severe symptoms of several mental health conditions. ECT is used to treat: 1. Severe depression,particularly when accompanied by detachment from reality (psychosis), a desire to commit suicide or refusal to e…
Results
- Although ECT is generally safe, risks and side effects may include: 1. Confusion.Immediately after treatment, you may experience confusion, which can last from a few minutes to several hours. You may not know where you are or why you're there. Rarely, confusion may last several days or longer. Confusion is generally more noticeable in older adults. 2. Memory loss.Some people hav…