What does ECT mean?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a medical treatment most commonly used in patients with severe major depression or bipolar disorder that has not responded to other treatments. ECT involves a brief electrical stimulation of the brain while the patient is under anesthesia.
What happens if ECT does not work?
If nothing else has helped, including ECT, and you are still severely depressed, you may be offered neurosurgery for mental disorder (NMD), deep brain stimulation (DBS) or vagus nerve stimulation (VNS).
Can ECT change your personality?
ECT does not change a person’s personality, nor is it designed to treat those with just primary “personality disorders.” ECT can cause transient short-term memory — or new learning — impairment during a course of ECT, which fully reverses usually within one to four weeks after an acute course is stopped.
Can you get brain damage from ECT?
These conditions are not approached during ECT. Other findings indicate that the passage of electricity, thermal effects, and the transient disruption of the blood-brain barrier during ECS do not result in structural brain damage. Conclusions: There is no credible evidence that ECT causes structural brain damage.
Has anyone ever died from ECT?
Conclusion: The ECT-related mortality rate was estimated at 2.1 per 100 000 treatments. In comparison, a recent analysis of the mortality of general anesthesia in relation to surgical procedures reported a mortality rate of 3.4 per 100 000. Our findings document that death caused by ECT is an extremely rare event.
How many ECT treatments is too many?
It is important to realize that a ‘course ‘ of ECT entails a series of treatments given 2-3 times per week until maximal improvement has occurred. Most patients require 6 to 12 total treatments.
What are the long term side effects of ECT?
But some people experience more long-lasting or permanent memory loss, including losing personal memories or forgetting information they need to continue in their career or make sense of their personal relationships. Some people also find they have difficulty remembering new information from after they’ve had ECT.
Why are there so many controversy about ECT?
ECT does cause memory problems. These memory problems may take a number of months to clear. A small number of people who have received ECT complain of longer lasting memory problems. Such problems do not show up on psychological tests, it is not clear what causes them. Q. Why is there so much controversy about ECT?
Is there brain damage caused by ECT treatment?
Brain Damage Caused By ECT. The process always damages the brain and causes mental dysfunction.” The “proof” (according to psychiatry) that ECT works is the discovery of new cell growth in the brain after ECT treatment. According to Dr. Breggin, this does nothing but confirm that brain injury has occurred.
How does electroconvulsive therapy ( ECT ) work?
Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, “works” by creating an intense seizure or convulsion in the patient. This assault on the brain causes a temporary coma and flat-lining of brain waves, which is a sign of impending brain death.
How many people a year are treated with ECT?
Although psychiatric whistle blowers do exist, there are still close to 100,000 people a year who receive ECT treatment, mostly in psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric units. Since so many have been damaged by ECT, the profession of psychiatry is loathe to admit their failure with this barbaric “treatment”.