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Electroshock Therapy
Electroshock therapy is an extreme but surprisingly common treatment for anyone suffering with behavioural problems. The intensity of the treatment will vary dependant upon the extent of the symptoms being presented. Whilst to the untrained it may sound somewhat old fashioned, the success rates for patients undergoing Electroshock therapy is fairly positive. In this post we look into more detail what ECT is and how effective it is in treating mental disorders.
What is Electroshock Therapy?
Electroshock therapy is a type of treatment option offered to those suffering from mental and behavior illnesses, such as catatonia and schizophrenia. Electroshock therapy is also known as ECT, and historically known as electro-shock treatment. While ECT has a notorious connotation, it is a treatment option that has been refined over many decades of testing and studying short and long term side effects and successes.
Electroshock therapy was discovered and pioneered by an Italian nero-scientist by the name of Ugo Cerletti. His discovery came in the late 1930s when he tested ECT treatment on the first human patient. Since then, ECT treatments have been more and more widespread and accepted, much thanks to the work that Ugo documented during his time he studied this treatment option. Today, ECT is widely used. It is estimated that over a million people a year receive ECT.
ECT Therapy
ECT can be considered controversial for various reasons, but one can’t deny the success that ECT has brought many people. Side effects of ECT include common ailments such as headaches, nausea, acute confusion immediately following an ECT treatment, as well as muscle aches. That aside, one of the more concerning side effects of ECT is memory loss. It has been stated that a third of patients who have had an ECT treatment saw memory loss as a result. While ECT is still proven to be effective, this is one of the reasons why ECT is put aside for those who don’t respond to medications, or for those who have a more severe case of their mental illness.
One of the more common concerns those potential ECT patients ask is if it hurts or not. During the treatment itself, the patient is put through a stage of anesthesia. Because of this, ECT patients don’t feel a thing during the actual treatment sessions. The actual treatment sessions last about 3 to 5 minutes. Upon completion, the patient wakes up and rests for a period of time. As stated earlier, the most common ‘painful’ side effect would be a headache. As far as limitations go for those going through the stages of ECT treatment, the patient cannot operate heavy machinery or a car.
Clearly, Electroshock therapy has not been confined to medical history and subsists in modern day medicine. Gone are the days when patients were strapped to chairs and today’s procedures are well planned and executed. Not only helping to reduce metal illnesses but can also be performed quickly and effectively with studies showing good success rates.
There are many mental health services & clinics Offering mental inpatient treatment and residential and educational services to adolescents age 13up to adults 18+. These clinics provide vital care in a safe, healing environment, and upholds a treatment philosophy focused on enhancing their self-esteem while providing firm and consistent behavioral guidelines toward self-improvement.
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