What do they do in shock therapy?

What do they do in shock therapy?

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.

Do they still do shock therapy?

But electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is still being used — more in Europe than the United States — and it may be the most effective short-term treatment for some patients with depressive symptoms, a newly published review in the journal The Lancet suggests.

Is shock therapy brutal?

Leonard Roy Frank said, “I have concluded that ECT is a brutal, dehumanizing, memory-destroying, intelligence-lowering, brain-damaging, brainwashing, life-threatening technique. ECT robs people of their memories, their personality, and their lives.

Are you awake during shock therapy?

Although you will be asleep during the treatment, the medical team will need to start preparing you for the treatment while you are still awake. The team will: Place sensors called electrodes on your head, so that they can measure the electrical activity in your brain.

What are the long term side effects of electric shock therapy?

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been controversially associated with long-lasting memory problems. Verbal learning and memory deficits are commonly reported in studies of people with bipolar disorder (BD).

How painful is electric shock therapy?

Freeman and R. E. Kendell of the University of Edinburgh found that 68 percent reported that the experience was no more upsetting than a visit to the dentist. For the others, ECT was more unpleasant than dentistry, but it was not painful. Still, the treatment is not hazard-free.

How much does electroshock therapy cost?

ECT treatments cost $300 to $1,000 per treatment, with an initial course requiring five to 15 treatments followed by 10 to 20 maintenance treatments per year, the researchers noted. That means the annual cost can be more than $10,000, compared with a cost of several hundred dollars for many antidepressant medications.

What are the side effects of electric shock therapy?

The most common side effects of ECT on the day of treatment include nausea, headache, fatigue, confusion, and slight memory loss, which may last minutes to hours. These risks must be balanced with the consequences of ineffectively treated severe psychiatric disorders.

Can ECT erase your memory?

ECT may never be appropriate for simply erasing a bad memory, Kroes says. But for people already undergoing the treatment for other reasons, ECT may allow them to gain control over crippling memories. For instance, a patient might target bad memories to be wiped out by recalling them just before treatment.