ECT Treatment: For or against it?

One of the first things to realize is that today's ECT is nothing like it was 60 years ago. The reality that brought us "One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest" and other popular images of ECT, is long past. That method of ECT has as much to do with modern medicine as an amputation done w/o anesthesia or painkillers in the civil war.

The reality is that ECT is a safe and extraordianrily effective method to control acute symptoms of psychiatric illness. As to the protocol, I'm not sure of the number of treatments usually undergone; however, serveral are usually presribed. ECT is done is a state of anesthesia, with monitoring. The most common side effect is that of short term memory loss.

As for you personally, I think its a decision you have to make with your doctor. Although the side effects exist, they may turn out to be minor in comparison to the damage that a long term psyciatric problem can cause.

one time i had a patient that was so depressed that she stopped talking, eating (needed g-tube), ambulating with the flattest of affects.

after trying every available pharmocological regimen, her son authorized ect for her, per the recommendation of her doctor.

after a few treatments, this woman was walking, smiling (!!) eating, conversing and had a song in her voice. it was like watching a living miracle.

then her dtr found out she had been receiving these treatments (she lived out of state) and stopped them immediately. she didn't see or care about the drastic improvement of her mother but was fixed on ect being a barbaric treatment. so all treatments were stopped and she went back to her catatonic mode. so, so sad.

do your research and as already stated, it's nothing as it was 50 yrs ago. much luck to you.

wishing you peace,

leslie

i am for it. a friend of mying has bipolar and did not respond to ANYTHING but shock therapy has helped

I have worked for several years with a facility in Costa Mesa that performs out patiant ECT. It is a gentle procedure, the patient's are usually fully recovered and walking out of the facility within a few hours.

I have seen severely depressed ( poor hygiene, poor eye contact, frown, crying, verbalized despair and just an overall heavy and sad demeanor) improve to happy, smiling and productive people in a matter of weeks. No specific treatment is "right" for everyone but I have seen it work, so I am FOR IT!!!! Sorry Tom Cruise!

Definitely for it. Got to observe the treatment during psych rotation and see the difference it makes in some patients before and after.

Thank you for all your responses. I don't want to label ECT as automatically not an option. I too have friends who have had ECT and have done a complete 360 in their attitude and demenor. I guess it's just a little different when you are considering it for yourself. Thanks again. :icon_hug:

Keely

I have to tell you my story.

At my first psych nurse job I was assigned to work out the ECT protocols for our new unit. Probably because I fresh out of the ER and more familiar with "medical " nursing. I was appalled that we were using this barbaric technique frrom the dark ages. ... Then I went and watched the procedures. The treatments were done in the OR suite with an anesthesologist in attendence. The pt was under full anesthesia, the shock takes maybe 20 sec and the only physical evicence of it is a slight curling of the toes. The next hour or two the patient spent recoveing from anesthesia. We started at 8am and the patients were fully recovered and up to eat lunch.

We used ECT primarily to treat elderly depressives who it was felt could not tolerate the cardiotoxicity of the anit depressants in use then. As a treatment for depression it is hard to beat. There is going to be at least some memory loss. Modern advances keep that to a minimum. My current employer does ECT on an out pt basis. I think the usual couse of tx is 6 to 12 episodes over a two week to a month period.

Were I severely depressed it is the treatment I would prefer.

I've been a psych nurse for 15 years. I've seen miracles brought around by ECTs. Many miracles. I think for the most part, I'm in favor of them.

However, I don't want people to think they're always wonderful. I worked with a nurse who had ECTs to treat her disorder. She had a long series of them. After she was finished, she never regained all of her memory. In fact, she wasn't able to be effective at work anymore, because she forgot much of what she had learned in nursing school.

So, I wouldn't recommend them unhesitatingly.

i have seen residents at our facility and when they became unruly and unable to respond to a chg in meds and they were sent to a facility who did these along with med consult

it seemed like that this was very effective on the first visit and it frequently lasted for 2-3 years ]however not all achieved good effect for that length of time] on subsequent tx the side effects were more pronounced and did not subside

however these patients required 24/7 care on their best days, this might be a factor but it did make the residents less aggressive

I've seen ect work miracles on patients with major depressive disorder and bipolar. I've also seen it used for chronic forensic patients that had the treatment indicated for their aggressive and impulsive behaviors and that wouldn't work so much. The worst of complaints have been maybe a headache afterwards and the short term memory loss. I haven't actually seen the procedure but have taken care of plent of patients when they've come back. I do have to warn that it's not a miracle for all. But for those that it does work, it's really amazing.