What is the best treatment for ECT?

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.

What does ECT treatment do to the brain?

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. ECT seems to cause changes in brain chemistry that can quickly reverse symptoms of certain mental health conditions.

Can ECT cause permanent brain damage?

ECT can cause severe and permanent memory loss, brain damage, suicide, cardiovascular complications, intellectual impairment and even death. As of early 2017, the WA Chief Psychiatrist’s ECT Guidelines recommended ECT consent form, states: “In some people, memory loss may be severe and can even be permanent.”

What was ECT originally used to treat?

In 1938, Cerletti and his psychiatrist colleague Lucio Bini developed the first ECT device and treated their first human patient, a diagnosed schizophrenic with delusions, hallucinations, and confusion. The treatment worked just as planned, and the patient’s condition improved markedly.

What is the success rate of ECT therapy?

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.

How long does ECT last?

The seizure itself tends to last 20 to 60 seconds, but can last as long as 3 minutes. Patients wake up several minutes after the seizure stops. Patients are then transferred to the recovery area. They stay until blood pressure and alertness have returned to normal, which usually takes about 20 minutes.

What is the success rate of ECT?

Does ECT destroy brain cells?

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.

Who is ECT Not recommended for?

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.

What are the side effects of ECT?

What are the risks and side-effects of ECT?

  • loss of memory about the events immediately before and after ECT.
  • heart rhythm disturbances.
  • low blood pressure.
  • headaches.
  • nausea.
  • sore muscles, aching jaw.
  • confusion.

Can ECT save your life?

“I’ve had several patients that are young and have severe depressions with suicidal thinking and impulses that have said, ‘ECT saved my life,'” Secrest said. He said there are people for whom ECT “allowed them to really have a life that they couldn’t have otherwise.”

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.