“There is a medication called Sevoflurane, which is a gas that we use commonly to keep patients asleep there’s some increased incidence of crying when that medication is used,” said Heitz. But he suspects many factors could be involved; the stress of surgery, combined with medications and feeling slightly disoriented.
Full Answer
How scary is ECT?
Six people said that ECT was not particularly frightening to receive, although one woman attributed this to the numbing effects of her medication.
How does ECT cause anticipatory anxiety?
`When you'd been on the ward there were certain people who had had ECT and all the other people were very scared by this.. you would see them afterwards when they couldn't remember who they were and were very confused and had terrible headaches and weren't themselves at all'. All this generally produced a high level of anticipatory anxiety:
Why do people cry when they wake up from anesthesia?
Heitz says anesthesia remains a mystery on many levels, for example, it is not yet understood how exactly the process works, and there is no serious research on what aspect of going under makes some people cry when they wake up. The drugs used to sedate patients seem to play a role.
What happens after ECT treatment?
Memory loss and headaches: If you have a headache after ECT, ask your healthcare provider for medicine to make it go away. If more ECT treatments are planned for you, ask the healthcare provider to give you medicine before the treatments to help prevent headaches. There is a greater chance that you will fall after ECT treatments.
What is the most serious side effect of electroconvulsive therapy?
During ECT, heart rate and blood pressure increase, and in rare cases, that can lead to serious heart problems. If you have heart problems, ECT may be more risky.
Is agitation a side effect of ECT?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective nonpharmacologic treatment for the management of depression and some other psychiatric disorders. Post-ECT agitation occurs in up to 12% of ECT treatments and is characterized by motor restlessness, irritability, disorientation, and panic-like behaviors.
What is the most likely lingering side effect following a course of ECT?
The most persistent adverse effect is retrograde amnesia. Shortly after ECT, most patients have gaps in their memory for events that occurred close in time to the course of ECT, but the amnesia may extend back several months or years.
Can ECT cause panic attacks?
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.
Can ECT cause aggression?
The procedure sends small electric currents through the brain. The currents trigger a brief seizure. This causes changes in the brain that can improve and even reverse troubling symptoms. These symptoms could include severe depression, mania, or aggression.
Can ECT damage your brain?
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.
Can you feel worse after ECT?
ECT can't prevent future depression, or fix any ongoing stresses or problems that are contributing to how you're feeling. Some people have very bad experiences of ECT, for example because they feel worse after treatment or are given it without consent. You might not want to risk the possibility of getting side effects.
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.
Can ECT cause dissociation?
The dissociative disorders also involve disturbances of memory, as well as consciousness and personal identity, but are rarely iatrogenic. We report a case in which dissociative symptoms developed after ECT.
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.
Does ECT make PTSD worse?
ECT is the most effective treatment for improving mood in patients with depression and there is new evidence emerging that suggests ECT can also improve PTSD symptoms independently of co-morbid depression.
Can ECT cause paranoia?
Thus, many researchers have offered what were termed "favorable" features for ECT response. They include sudden onset, shorter duration of episode, psychomotor retardation, early awakening, weight loss, older age, paranoia, and delusions (psychosis).
How long does it take for ECT to go away?
ECT may cause memory loss and confusion. Your confusion may go away in a short time, such as 1 hour after your treatment. You may lose your memory for 1 to 3 weeks, and some memories may be lost forever.
What is ECT therapy?
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a treatment that sends a small electric current to your brain to cause a seizure. The seizure affects the chemicals in your brain, which may make your brain cells work better.
Can you fall after ECT?
If more ECT treatments are planned for you, ask the healthcare provider to give you medicine before the treatments to help prevent headaches. There is a greater chance that you will fall after ECT treatments . Ask someone to help you when you want to stand up or walk.
Why do I wake up in the middle of the night screaming?
It can be very alarming to wake up in the night screaming. After all, sleep is supposed to be a peaceful and relaxing experience for you. It’s designed to refresh, heal, and restore your brain and body ready for the next day.
What does it mean when you are screaming?
If you find yourself frequently screaming yourself awake, you may be experiencing a phenomenon called night terrors. These are also known as sleep terrors, or by their Latin name “pavor nocturnus.”. They are a type of parasomnia, recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
How to get rid of sleep terrors?
Exercise during the day to tire yourself out enough to sleep well at night. However, be careful not to become overtired as this can make sleep terrors more likely. Aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night, if you’re over 18. Adolescents need slightly more sleep – between 8 and 10 hours.
How long does a night terror last?
A typical night terror will last around 1 to 2 minutes. The most severe night terrors can last up to 30 minutes. Throughout the duration of a night terror, the person experiencing it is fast asleep, though they appear awake. After an episode, the individual will either return to a peaceful sleep or will wake up.
Why is it difficult to interrupt a night terror?
This is because night terrors occur during the deepest stage of sleep. Someone having a night terror may not recognize the person trying to comfort them, and will not be consoled. Talking to or touching someone having a night terror will not wake them, and may even make it worse. If they do wake, they will be confused and disoriented. They will usually not be aware that they were screaming, or what they were afraid of.
What does it mean when you wake up from a nightmare?
When a person wakes up from a nightmare, they can almost always explain what they were dreaming about. In the morning, they will usually remember that they experienced a nightmare during the night.
What happens if you wake up after a night terror?
If the individual wakes up after the night terror, they will seem confused and will not understand what has happened. Upon waking up in the morning, they will likely not be able to recall the episode at all. So, if you’re screaming in sleep and not remembering it later, it may be a night terror.
This video answers the most common questions people have about electroconvulsive therapy (also known as shock treatment, electroshock or ECT)
This video answers the most common questions people have about electroconvulsive therapy (also known as shock treatment, electroshock or ECT):
Sarah P. Hancock
Sarah Price Hancock, MS, CRC, lived for nearly two decades misdiagnosed with severe mental illness. She was given 116 bilateral ECT treatments and now lives with delayed electrical injury. Sarah holds a Master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling and taught for four years in San Diego State University’s Rehabilitation Counseling program.
What is the side effect of ECT?
Memory Loss. Memory loss is the primary side effect associated with ECT treatment. Most people experience what’s called retrograde amnesia, which is a loss of memory of events leading up to and including the treatment itself. Some people’s memory loss is longer and greater with ECT. Some have trouble recalling events that occurred during ...
How long does it take for memory to improve after ECT?
Memory loss generally improves within a few weeks after ECT treatment. As with psychiatric medications, no professional or doctor can tell you for certain what kind of memory loss you will experience, but virtually all patients experience some memory loss. Sometimes the memory loss in some patients is permanent. 2.
What happens if your doctor fails to do so?
If your doctor fails to do so, that may be a sign they minimize the risks associated with ECT . 1.
How long does confusion last after electroconvulsive therapy?
Many people who undergo the electroconvulsive therapy find that they experience a period of confusion after the procedure has been completed. You may forget why you’re in the hospital, or even what hospital you’re in. For most people, this confusion fades after a few hours, but can last as long as a few days after ...
Why should patients with a history of heart problems not undergo ECT treatment?
Patients with a history of heart problems generally should not undergo ECT treatment, because the risk associated with receiving the electrical stimulation is greater. Last medically reviewed on May 17, 2016.
Who performs electroconvulsive therapy?
ECT is a medical procedure that can only be performed by a qualified physician or psychiatrist. Because general anesthesia is administered, electroconvulsive therapy carries with it similar risks that any medical procedure using anesthesia does.
Can ECT cause headaches?
4. Other Side Effects. Similar to some psychiatric medications, some people undergoing ECT may experience physical side effects such as nausea, headaches, muscle aches or spasms, and vomiting.
Why do older people cry at night?
However, it could be a combination of factors. Older adults can be more easily overwhelmed by change or emotional stress, so they may cry at night.
Why do babies cry when they wake up?
A baby with a breathing disorder such as asthma or acid reflux that causes heartburn may wake up crying out of physical discomfort. Adults may be less likely to wake up crying due to pain or discomfort. But a condition like chronic back pain or cancer can become so severe that you wake up crying. Certain eye conditions, such as conjunctivitis ...
What is it called when you dream while still asleep?
Parasomnia. Sleep disorders, such as sleepwalking and REM sleep behavior disorder (a condition in which a person essentially acts out a dream while still asleep — talking and moving, sometimes aggressively), fall under the umbrella term “parasomnia.”. Episodes of parasomnia can occur at any time during the sleep cycle.
What does it feel like to be buried?
In addition to crying upon waking up and other sleep problems, symptoms of buried or “blocked” grief can include trouble with decision-making, depression, anxiety, and feeling as though you’re weighed down and lacking energy.
Why do babies cry at night?
Babies often cry at night simply because they have transitioned from deep sleep to a lighter sleep stage. For adults, a mood disorder or feeling overwhelmed emotionally can trigger tears while sleeping. There are a wide range of potential causes of waking up crying, some of which can occur in young children and older adults.
How long do night terrors last?
They can also involve thrashing in bed or sleepwalking. Also known as sleep terrors, night terrors tend to last from a few seconds to a few minutes, though they may last even longer.
Can grief be released during sleep?
And if you’re busy dealing with work, family and other responsibilities during the day, the emotions triggered by grief may be released only during sleep.
What happens to the brain during an ECT?
During an ECT treatment, a small electric current passes through the brain inducing what is known as a grand mal seizure. Please note that this is not proven, but the psychiatrist explained to me that the induced seizure causes chemical changes in the brain that often quickly lift severe depression in patients.
What is ECT treatment?
ECT utilizes muscle relaxers and anesthesia to make the treatment less traumatic for the patient. Today, numerous doctors claim that electroshock treatments are more humane than the ones from the past. We will take a brief look at insulin coma and focus on electroconvulsion.
How to deal with traumatic brain injury?
Ways to Deal With Apparent Severe Brain Trauma 1 Be proactive: choosing how to live your life without letting others or a situation affect your feelings about yourself. Proactivity comes from the heart, not the mind. 2 Meditate every morning: participating in a guided meditation to increase awareness and acceptance of something that is so hard to accept 3 Read every day: to become the best person you can be 4 Consciously breathe: slow and smooth breathing has recently been proven by scientists to increase your tranquility and well-being 5 Attend Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) sessions: to maintain some degree of structure and keep faith that your cognitive functions will improve over time 6 Get physical therapy: in my case, time will tell on this one
Is ECT a miracle?
The fact is, most of the information you will find online, as well as the opinion of many psychiatrists, is that ECT is a miracle for most who choose to undergo it. This type of therapy was not my miracle but is rather my ongoing nightmare.
How many people found ECT helpful?
While 43% found ECT helpful or very helpful, a large minority (37.1 %) said it was unhelpful or very unhelpful, with a high proportion of the latter group strongly condemning it. Psychological effects included fear, flashbacks and nightmares.
Is ECT a strong reaction?
In summary , all of the more recent research acknowledges that a proportion of people have very strong reactions against ECT, although very little is known about the nature of, and reasons for, these adverse psychological effects.
Does ECT reinforce depression?
Feelings of shame, failure, badness, unworthiness, self-punishment and helplessness are common features of depression , and in so far as ECT reinforces them, it will obviously be unhelpful. Perhaps most worrying were the cases of the two women survivors of sexual abuse who clearly experienced ECT as a re-abuse.
Is ECT a traumatic experience?
However, the study does confirm that for a certain proportion of patients, ECT is a deeply and lastingly traumatic experience.
How common is crying after anesthesia?
He says for children, crying after anesthesia is very common – it happens in about 30 to 40 percent of the cases . For adults, the numbers are much lower – he estimates them to be around three percent – but crying is not even something that gets written down in the patient notes.
What is the medication used to sedate patients?
The drugs used to sedate patients seem to play a role. “There is a medication called Sevoflurane, which is a gas that we use commonly to keep patients asleep there’s some increased incidence of crying when that medication is used,” said Heitz.
Does Heitz say anesthesia is a mystery?
Heitz says anesthesia remains a mystery on many levels, for example, it is not yet understood how exactly the process works, and there is no serious research on what aspect of going under makes some people cry when they wake up. The drugs used to sedate patients seem to play a role.
Does crying after anesthesia happen?
Dr. James Heitz, seen here with nurse Esmihan Almontaser, says crying after anesthesia occurs frequently enough that 'we should be aware of it as providers' even though it's not frequently documented in major anesthesiology textbooks (Karen Shakerdge/for WHYY) This story is from The Pulse, a weekly health and science podcast.
What happens when you are under light anesthesia?
For example, when under light anesthesia, you are unconscious, but you may keep breathing. It can also be applied to emotion. Normally, your emotion is balanced by your rational cognition. Under anesthesia, your cognitive brain area is more suppressed.
Do you cry when you wake up from anesthesia?
As an anesthesiologist I can assure you that it's common. Some anesthesiologists theorize that people who tend to cry easily in other situations will be more apt to cry on awakening from anesthesia. Or people who experienced a recent traumatic event.