When people think of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) they tend to think of R.P. McMurphy (portrayed by Jack Nicholson in 1975’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) being, literally, shocked into submission. ECT, to many, is a scary and barbaric process more closely linked to a form of punishment than a therapeutic medical procedure. It is a medical horror story almost a century old. However, as with all things, the over 75 years since ECT was first used it has changed a great deal. It is no longer comparable to an executioner’s electric chair. First, let’s take a look at the ever present cons of ECT. When first brought into practice, the jolts of electricity would often cause muscle tears and broken bones, “routine use of hypnotics and muscle relaxants has eradicated [these] serious complications” (Sienaert 9). Sienaert goes on to say “Today, headache and nausea are the most common immediate side effects (9). Another, more serious, side effect of ECT is memory loss. Cyrzyk states “a systematic review of patients’ experiences . . . confirmed permanent memory loss in at least 30 per cent of cases (24). Cyrzyk goes on to say “memory disability (loss of working memory) and cognitive disability (loss of higher mental functions of cognition) to varying degrees” (24) should also be included in the list of the adverse effects of ECT. Another concern with ECT is informed consent, or lack thereof. Cyrzyk states “half of the participants reported that they had not received sufficient information about the ECT procedure and the possible side effects” (24). Also, while many think of ECT as a treatment for schizophrenia, patients with schizophrenia only showed “a short-term, small but significant, improvement” (Sienaert 8). Sienaert... ... middle of paper ... ... its underlying pathophysiology, and the best opportunities to understand the abnormal brain processes that underlie major psychiatric disorders and their remarkable resolution by inducing seizures (Fink 4). I can say no better sentiment on the subject than that. Works Cited Cyrzyk, Tomasz. “Electroconvulsive Therapy: Why It Is Still Controversial.” Mental Health Practice 16.7 (2013): 22-27. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 14 May 2014. Fink, M. “Electroconvulsive Therapy Resurrected: Its Successes And Promises After 75 Years.” Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry 56.1 (2011): 3-4. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 14 May 2014. Sienaert, P. “What We Have Learned About Electroconvulsive Therapy And Its Relevance For the Practising Psychiatrist.” Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry 56.1 (2011): 5-12. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web. 14 May 2014.
...ects, which in my opinion shows that its introduction into society (decriminalization) could benefit the community in many aspects (such as volunteering for a good cause) due to the increased sensibility that one may develop in regards to the society/others. I find that society has been misinformed about this chemical, seeing it solemnly as dangerous substance and classifying it along with physically harmful and potentially deadly substances such as heroin and cocaine. Not only is psilocybin non-lethal, but its potential for abuse is lower than that of caffeine. To summarize and conclude, I find that used responsibly, psilocybin along with other entheogens can be beneficial for one’s mental health and that more light needs to be shed on its benefits to allow society to see it in a different angle rather than what is propagated through the media about it today.
Compared to other areas of medicine, mental health is decades behind in finding and applying new intervention strategies that work to alleviate and sooth symptoms of mental health disorders. The use of therapy, medication and in extreme cases electroshock therapy has been used since the 1950s to aid patients in recovery. However, there are new advances in technology that are currently being developed to better understand and assist in the fight against mental health disorders such as bipolar (“Ride the Tiger, 2016). The documentary Ride the Tiger: A guild through the Bipolar Brain (2016) seeks to shed light on mental health inventions that could be used in
These medications made him gain excessive weight and contract serious acne, and they did not even prevent him from attempting suicide several more times. He was also placed in a group home when he was a young man but did not feel safe there. Group environments, medication, and the council he sought at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were not working for Kazmierczak, so the treatment option of Electroconvulsive Shock Therapy (ECT) seems to be appropriate. According to the textbook, ECT is used as a last resort for patients who suffer from Major Depression and may be seriously considering suicide. As someone who did not benefit from other types of treatment, Kazmierczak would have been a good candidate for the procedure. After being given a muscle relaxer, an anaesthetic, and being properly protected from the convulsions that would go through his body, a doctor would administer an electric through the
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
Reisner, A D. (2003). The electroconvulsive therapy controversy: evidence and ethics. Neuropsychology Review, 13(4), 199-219. Vothknecht, S., Kho, K. H., van Schaick, H. W., et al. (September 2004).
Currently, there is a lack of studies in regards to whether or not this therapy causes significant damage to the brain. Correspondingly, there is little research done in regards to how great relapse rates are and how long the treatment can truly last. Consequently, many people have abstained from receiving treatment to avoid any possibility of impairment or reversion. However, it has not been denied nor confirmed that ECT directly causes the aforementioned results. Moreover, many theories created to downplay electroconvulsive therapy’s effectiveness are being brought back into the spotlight, including one that attributes ECT’s success to brain damage. Breggin states, “More recently [Harold] Sackeim and Sackeim with a team of colleagues have covertly revived the principle that a therapeutic response depends upon the degree of brain damage and dysfunction” (par. 17). Although this theory was made to discredit ECT, there has been no research done to disprove its accuracy. Furthermore, because of a lack of research, when a new study such as this comes out, many people believe it right away no matter how erroneous it may actually be. More research on ECT is desperately needed to see if these theories are factual or not. As a result of these truths or fallacies, the therapy can be improved upon
Even though it’s mechanism of action is not grasped, revisions by the American Journal of Psychiatry exhumed a contraction in the le...
(2007). Electroconvulsive therapy. Harvard Health Publications. The Harvard Mental Health Letter. (“Electroconvulsive therapy, 2007)
Psychiatrists observed that after spontaneous epileptic seizure the psychiatric conditions of patients improved. Previously, in the sixteenth-century, Paracelsus, a Swiss physician and alchemist gave camphor by mouth to produce convulsions and to cure lunacy. Originally, the induced convulsions treated severe catatonic stupors and schizophrenia. Today we know the convulsions are secondary to grand mal seizures in the brain, and that the seizure is the primary therapeutic agent of electroconvuslive therapy (ECT). Metrazol and Cardiazol later replaced Camphor because of its rapid onset. The extremely unpleasant sensations led investigators to seek alternative methods and electroconvulsive therapy was born. Electrical stimulation first tested epileptic seizures on dogs and pigs, and its first treatment helped a delusional, hallucinating homeless man diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1938. After chronic administration of ECT, the patient fully recovered.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was first developed in 1938. It has a history of abuse, exploited as a means of punishing or controlling people in mental hospitals, consequently ECT had poor reputation with negative depictions, but since then it has drastically improved with confirmed effectiveness. Despite the improvement in techniques, the use of ECT continues to decline since the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE,2003) states that it should only be administered to severely depressed patients for whom psychotherapy and medication have proved ineffective or when the condition is considered potentially life threatening. For example, when there is a risk of suicide or risk to others because ECT has much quicker results than any other forms of treatment for depression. Overall, the aim of this PowerPoint is to provide information on how ECT is administered, how or why it works, benefits, side effects, appropriateness and effectiveness.
Depression. Alzheimer’s. Autism. Stroke. Each of these words correlates with negative connotations. They afflict the mind, snatching away members of society like a ghost in the wind, leaving empty, damaged shells in their wake. Days drag into a dull grey blur, mental capacities weakening with each moment. For decades, medical researchers, working tireless hours with stark determination, have committed themselves to finding the cures to these and many more diseases that affect the brain. These scientists leapt over obstacles, ducking under impossibilities to see the clear picture, the clear goal. They refused to stop before discovering treatments that took the form of chemical drugs. Despite this, these treatments come riddled with side effects, strong chemicals alleviating some symptoms while bringing more into play. So research continued. Now, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has risen as a potential treatment for various mental disorders. Although many chemical drugs have spelled relief for countless victims of depression and bipolar disorder, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation stands strong as the most effective treatment for mental disorders because of its influential effect on multiple disorders, minimal display of side effects, low potential for weaponization, and high capacity to surpass chemical drugs.
Olley, B. O., & Kola, L. (2005). The british journal of psychiatry. Community study of
A major example of this is when McMurphy was receiving the treatments. McMurphy attempted rebel against nurse Ratched, and as a result she administer ECT to him numerous times. Another time ECT is used in the book to establish power is when Chief received the treatment. Before Chief goes into detail about his treatment, he makes a general statement: “ She’ll turn that dial to a dead stop and freeze the sun there on the screen so it don't move a scant hair for weeks, so not a leaf on a tree or a blade of grass in the pasture shimmers. The clock hands hang at two minutes to three and she's liable to let them hang there till we rust.”(Kesey 71) The treatment was not used to improve the mentality of the patients, but it silenced them into confinement and made them more manageable. Ergo, the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey diminishes any hope of future societal respect of Electroconvulsive
The worst treatment used is electro shock therapy, also known as ECT. This is when one is shocked by strong amounts of electricity, repeatedly, for however long the doctors decided to keep the patients there. There are a few incidences when ECT actually worked and completely cured a patient, but these were few and far between; the truth of the treatment is much worse.
However out of all the medication listed for most mental disorders, electroconvulsive therapy, has the most positive effect for cotard syndrome. It is commonly known as electroshock treatment. The patients are electronically given seizures to give the relief from their psychiatric illnesses. Women are more likely to go under electroshock treat, seeing as they are more likely to go into depression. Electroshock treatment is usually given as a last result for most major depression disorders, like cotard syndrome.