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Electroconvulsive therapy pros and cons
Electroconvulsive therapy pros and cons
Electroconvulsive therapy pros and cons
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Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or electroshock therapy, is a highly controversial form of therapy that was first used in slaughterhouses to render pigs unconscious so the workers could kill them with less hassle (Eastgate). In humans, this form of therapy starts with the patient being given an anesthetic and muscle-paralyzing drugs to reduce the risk of spinal fractures. Then, the patient is given 100-400 volts of electricity for 0.5-5 seconds in order to trigger a grand mal convulsion, which is similar to an epileptic seizure. The convulsions normally continue for 30-60 seconds. After the convulsions stop, the patient is normally unconscious for a period of several minutes (Kirk and Einbinder 133). This process is repeated anywhere from 6-35 times over a few weeks (Kirk and Einbinder 132). ECT is used widely across America by psychiatrists to treat anything from depression, schizophrenia, and anorexia nervosa to drug/alcohol addiction, pain, and sexual dysfunction (Kirk and Einbinder 132). Over 88,000 people each year in the U.S. are given electroconvulsive therapy, and over 17,000 of these people suffer from permanent bodily damages from an inhumane treatment that often doesn’t work (Eastgate). Because of its deadly and dangerous effects on the human body, ECT should be outlawed. Electroconvulsive therapy comes with a number of risks; some are permanent or even deadly, while others are short-term and merely inconvenient. When the recipient of the treatment wakes up after the induced seizure, he or she will almost certainly experience a number of unpleasant sensations including disorientation, confusion, grogginess, headache, nausea, delirium, amnesia, apathy or euphoria, and/or physical weakness. Most of the immediate effec... ... middle of paper ... ...effects of ECT will hopefully convince therapists to ban the use of the inhumane and deadly form of therapy that is called ECT. Works Cited Baldauf, Sarah. “If the Gloom Won’t Lift.” U.S News & World Report 146.11 (2009): 70. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. Eastgate, Jan. “The Case Against Electroshock Treatment.” USA Today Magazine 127.2642 (1998): 28. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 24 Nov. 2013 Fischer, Joannie Schrof. “Taking the Shock Out of Electroshock.” U.S. News & World Report 128.4 (2000): 46. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 42 Nov. 2012. “Functional Connectivity Reduced by ECT for Severe Depression.” HealthDay Consumer News Service 19 Mar. 2012: Points of View Reference Center. Web. 24 Nov. 2013 Kirk, Stuart A. and Einbinder Susan D. Controversial Issues in Mental Health. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. 1994. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
...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.
Unlike Naomi, Eric does not respond to drug therapy. Therefore, instead of a drug therapy, Eric receives the electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or brain stimulation often an effective treatment for patients like Eric with severe depression who does not respond to a drug therapy. By shocking the brain, the ECT manipulates the brain’s chemical imbalance produced by the social-cultural stress experience. But after eleven ECTs in a month, Eric cannot function because of the temporary side effects of memory loss and confusion affecting his concentration to play the viola and his well-being. Then after four months of receiving ECT treatment, Eric returns to normal social functioning as a musician. Six months later, Eric is still playing the viola and has had no recurrence of his
The magnetic pulses easily pass through the skull and causes small electrical currents that stimulate nerve cells in the targeted brain region. The magnetic field that is produced lasts 100 to 200 microseconds, and the procedure is less invasive than the ECT. rTMS may increase blood flow and the metabolism of glucose in the prefrontal cortex. It like ECT can additionally be a treatment option for mania but continues to be
... in assisting those who care about the bipolar individual, as well as providing socialization and a means to not feel alone. Generally, as a last resort, electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT is used. An electrical current is passed through the brain. This is thought to change the brain chemistry and increase the mood. This is used only for severe depression or when symptoms are unsuccessfully treated with medications. People with Bipolar Disorder are encouraged to avoid drinking alcohol, avoid the use of street drugs or misusing prescription medications, avoid unhealthy relationships, get plenty of sleep, and exercise on a regular basis. One thing is clear. The person themselves must be active in their own well-being in order to maintain a relatively healthy and productive lifestyle. In so doing, the prognosis for someone diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder is very good.
Due to the development of safer and less traumatic ways of administering ECT, the treatment has made a comeback, is greatly used, and proves to be effective. B. Historical Context The original use of electricity as a cure for “insanity” dates back to the beginning of the 16th century when electric fish were used to treat headaches. Electroconvulsive therapy on humans originates from research in the 1930’s into the effects of camphor-induced seizures in people with schizophrenia ( Guttmacher, 1994).
?What is the role of ECT in the treatment of mania?? Harvard Mental Health Letter. June 1997.
Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, is a highly effective yet controversial psychiatric method that involves sending electric shockwaves into the brain to cure various mental ailments. Because the populace is not typically educated by psychiatrists on techniques such as ECT, their knowledge comes from inaccurate, and mostly negative, descriptions in the media dictated by non-psychiatrists. Additionally, many patient families are skeptical of ECT because it is not common practice to allow non-medical staff in the therapy room. Furthermore, some psychiatrists perceive this treatment as callous because it is occasionally used without the consent of a patient, should they not be mentally stable. Moreover, because of strong public opposition, ECT
CBT has been known to cure a variety of disorders both in clinical environments and non-clinical environments. This type of therapy technique has been tested for efficacy and has proven to be highly effective. Furthermore, the future for CBT looks very positive as well. Researchers and theorist are now working on making this type of therapy available for suicide prevention, schizophrenia, and other psychopathologies.
Many treatments within the medical field have been considered controversial, but even after seventy-eight years of use electroconvulsive therapy, also referred to as ECT, is still one of the most questionable treatments. Just like any other treatment ECT has its risk and advantages, but it seems to have an even more negative connotation than other controversial treatments due to its violent history. Throughout the seventy-eight years that ECT has been around, research has been done to learn more about the treatment, which disorders it can be useful for, and what side effects can occur. The research has led to adjustments being made to the procedure and has significantly improved patient safety. The success of electroconvulsive therapy can be shown by numbers and case opinions; it may work for one person, but not another.
The introduction of ECT to the United States created a burst of therapeutic optimism in psychiatry. Psychiatrists used ECT experimentally on patients with major mental disorders. This led to its current use for Major Depression. A negative stigma has remained since movies like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest stress the abuse of ECT: "The Shock Shop, Mr. McMurphy . . . might be said to do the work of the sleeping pill, the electric chair and the torture rack. It's a clever little procedure, simple, quick, nearly painless it happens so fast, but no one ever wants another one. Ever".
Epilepsy, also known as “seizure disorder,” or “seizure attack,” is the fourth most common neurological disorder known to mankind, affecting an estimated 2.3 million adults and 467,711 children in the United States. Unfortunately this disorder is becoming far more common and widespread worldwide. This staggering number of cases of people suffering from Epilepsy also involves an average growth rate of 150,000 new cases each year in the United States alone. Generally, many of the people who develop who are a part of the new are mainly either young children or older adults. Your brain communicates through chemical and electrical signals that are all specialized for specific tasks. However, through the process of communication, chemical messengers, also known as neurotransmitters can suddenly fail, resulting in what is known as a seizure attack. Epilepsy occurs when a few too many brain cells become excited, or activated simultaneously, so that the brain cannot function properly and to it’s highest potential. Epilepsy is characterized when there is an abnormal imbalance in the chemical activity of the brain, leading to a disruption in the electrical activity of the brain. This disruption specifically occurs in the central nervous system (CNS), which is the part of the nervous system that contains the brain and spinal cord. This causes an interruption in communication between presynaptic neurons and postsynaptic neurons; between the axon of one neuron, the message sender and the dendrite of another neuron, the message recipient. Consequently, the effects that epileptic seizures may induce may range anywhere from mild to severe, life-threatening ramifications and complications. There are many different types of seizures associa...
...energy. We hope this kind of medication will develope more and be well-known to others as a trusted kind of therapy to heal and augment our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual components.
The diagnosis of epilepsy is usually made after the patient experiences a second unprovoked seizure (Leppik, 2002). Diagnosis is often difficult, however, since it is unlikely that the physician will actually see the patient experience and epileptic seizure, and therefore must rely heavily on patient’s history. An electroencephalography (EEG) is often used to examine the patient’s brain waves, and some forms of epilepsy can be revealed by a characteristic disturbance in electrical frequency (Bassick, 1993). The variations in frequency can take form as spikes or sharp waves (Fisher, 1995). The variations are divided into two groups, ictal electrograph abnormalities, which are disturbances resulting from seizure activity, and interictal electrograph abnormalities, or disturbances between seizures. The EEG can also give clues as to which region of the brain the disturbances arise from. Interictal temporal spikes will predict the side of seizure origin in 95% of patients if three times as ...
The rationale for ECT is to provide relief from the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses such as severe depression, mania, and catatonic schizophrenia. ECT is indicated when patients need rapid improvement because they are suicidal, at risk of self-harm, refuse to eat or drink or are non compliant with prescribed medication. ECT will only be prescribed after adequate trials of other treatment options have proved to be ineffective or the condition is considered potentially life threatening (NICE 2010). A programme of ECT refers to no more than 12 treatments, prescribed by a consultant psychiatrist, following a psychiatric examination of the patient with a mental disorder for which use of ECT is indicated (Mental Health Commission 2009).
According to Sharf, (2008) the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) was designed to treat posttraumatic stress disorder. EMDR requires that the clients visualize an upsetting memory and accompanying physical sensations. The clients repeat negative self-statements that they associate with the scene. The procedure is repeated again and again until the client’s anxiety is reduced. EMDR focuses on desensitizing strong emotional reasons in clients and help them to reframe their belief systems to accommodate new emotional states (Sharf, 2008).