The negative perceptions of ECT originate from previous misuse and the historical lack of consistent administration of general anesthetics or muscle relaxants. Furthermore, when healthcare professionals first introduced ECT, many people did not consent to the therapy. As a result, they often received ECT against their will or did not know the full extent of its side effects.
Newer neuromodulation techniques, including transcranial magnetic stimulation TMS and vagus nerve stimulation VNS , can also be effective treatments for severe depression and other mental health conditions.
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. When people live with suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts and feelings, ECT can provide relief.
This procedure also results in good outcomes for pregnant or older people who cannot take psychotropic medications, such as mood stabilizers. TMS utilizes magnetic fields that rapidly alternate. It stimulates the brain without inducing a seizure, and the person is awake during the procedure.
People can expect to receive TMS four to five times a week, for a total of 4—6 weeks. Researchers originally developed VNS to treat seizure conditions.
However, they realized that it was also an effective treatment for depression. The possible complications include:. ECT can be an effective therapy for treatment-resistant 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. 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.
Newer neuromodulation techniques include TMS, which uses alternating magnetic fields to stimulate the brain, and VNS, which stimulates the vagus nerve with electrical pulses. There are several different types of depression, which is a common mental health condition.
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.
For this reason, patients take antidepressant medication after ECT or may continue receiving ECT periodically to prevent relapse.
The immediate side effects of the procedure which may last for about an hour include:. Patients may also develop memory problems. 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.
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. ECT is used for fast treatment of severe depressive, manic or psychotic symptoms e. It may be used when the situation is thought to be life-threatening or after all other treatment options have failed.
Decisions to use ECT are always made very carefully. Together with the person wherever possible, a mental health specialist e. The decision is made by weighing the risks for the person against the potential danger of leaving the condition untreated. It is important to remember the person can seek a second opinion from another doctor. Informed consent must be gained by the person, if able to do so. If the person has been able to provide informed consent, they can withdraw consent at any stage in the process.
ECT is administered by a medical practitioner usually the treating psychiatrist and an anaesthetist in a hospital environment. Before the ECT procedure, the person is given a general anaesthetic and a muscle relaxant. Electrodes are placed on one unilateral or both bilateral sides of the scalp and a small electric current is passed between these until a brief generalised seizure occurs.
The person does not feel anything due to the anaesthetic, and does not convulse due to the muscle relaxant. The person wakes up five to 10 minutes after treatment and is usually clear headed within 30 minutes. Often, people do not clearly recall the time around the ECT treatment and, at first, may have little memory about the period of illness around the treatment.
Often, memory of these events gradually returns see below for more information on side-effects. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview 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. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references What is electroconvulsive therapy ECT?
American Psychiatric Association. Accessed Aug. National Alliance on Mental Illness. Brain stimulation therapies. National Institute of Mental Health. Kellner C. Overview of electroconvulsive therapy ECT for adults. Technique for performing electroconvulsive therapy ECT in adults. Electroconvulsive therapy ECT. Rochester, Minn. Guidance on the use of electroconvulsive therapy. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Kolar D.
0コメント