What disorder may respond to ECT?
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.
How soon after ECT Do you feel better?
We know that depressed patients often begin to respond after the first treatment and progress to wellness with 6 to 12 treatments. There is considerable variability in the trajectories, but most commonly there is progressive symptomatic improvement within the first week and complete remission within 3 to 4 weeks.
What to expect after ECT?
After the Procedure When you awaken, you may experience a period of disorientation lasting from a few minutes to several hours. Headaches, jaw pain, and muscle soreness may occur. ECT requires a series of treatments, often initiated two to three times a week for a few weeks and then the frequency is tapered down.
Does ECT make you happy?
Although studies have shown that ECT has antidepressant, antipsychotic, antimanic, and anticonvulsive effects, how it works remains a bit of a mystery. There’s likely more than one reason. Like antidepressants, ECT can trigger the production of important brain chemicals like serotonin, which regulates mood.
How does ECT make you feel?
Physical side effects. On the days of an ECT treatment, some people experience nausea, headache, jaw pain or muscle ache. These generally can be treated with medications.
How quickly does ECT work for depression?
Many people begin to notice an improvement in their symptoms after about six treatments with electroconvulsive therapy. Full improvement may take longer, though ECT may not work for everyone. Response to antidepressant medications, in comparison, can take several weeks or more.
Is ECT good for anxiety?
Conclusions: Electroconvulsive therapy is effective in the acute treatment of major depressive disorder patients associated with anxiety symptoms. Anxiety symptoms improved less than depression symptoms during acute electroconvulsive therapy.
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.
What is the success rate of ECT therapy?
Typically, ECT (whether inpatient or outpatient) is given two to three times a week for a total of six to twelve sessions. Some patients may need more or fewer treatments. These sessions improve depression in 70 to 90 percent of patients, a response rate much higher than that of antidepressant drugs.
Who is the lead author of the ECT study?
The study’s lead author, Dr Read, a professor of clinical psychology, describes previous research justifying the use of ECT in the UK and around the world as “the lowest quality of any I have seen in my 40-year career”. The paper concedes that “the severity and significance of the brain damage and memory loss (following ECT) is rarely studied”.
How is ECT used to treat mental illness?
ECT is a treatment for some mental illnesses. ECT is when electrical currents are passed through your brain to cause seizures or fits. There are 2 types of ECT.
Do you have to agree to ECT in hospital?
You have to agree to have ECT, even if you are in hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA). Doctors can only give you ECT without your agreement in very strict situations. If you lack mental capacity and your doctor wants to give you ECT they need a Second Opinion Appointed Doctor (SOAD) to agree.
When to refuse electroconvulsive therapy ( ECT )?
If you lack mental capacity and your doctor wants to give you ECT they need a Second Opinion Appointed Doctor (SOAD) to agree. You can make an advance decision about treatment you might have in the future. If you make an advance decision refusing ECT doctors have to follow this, unless it is an emergency.
What is the response rate for electroconvulsive therapy?
Specifically, data show that patients respond positively to medications 40% to 70% of the time but may require several trials of different medications. In contrast, ECT has a response rate of 80% to 85%, even though it is typically not even attempted until other treatments have failed.
What is the evidence for electroconvulsive therapy ( ECT )?
Further to this there are changes to electroencephalography (EEG) in specific brain regions and there is evidence that this can predict clinical response. Increased subgenual theta wave activity is associated with a decrease in psychotic symptoms. The antipsychotic effect of ECT is related to normalisation of subgenual ACC theta hypoactivity.
Are there any inconsistent findings in ECT research?
However, there are many inconsistent findings with much of the data often contradictory. Differences in research methodologies and study populations mean that it is difficult to confirm the precise mechanisms that underpin the therapeutic effects of ECT.
Who is a good candidate for electroconvulsive therapy?
People who have had ECT before and responded well are good candidates for ECT. Other first-line indications for the procedure include people who are catatonic or suffering from a form of depression known as psychotic depression (depression associated with delusions and hallucinations).