Electroconvulsive Therapy To Treat Mental Illness
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The specific reason for the positive action of ECT is unknown. There are multiple theories to explain why ECT is effective. One theory suggests that the seizure activity itself causes an alteration of the chemical messengers in the brain known as neurotransmitters. Another theory proposes that ECT treatments adjust the stress hormone regulation in the brain, which may affect energy, sleep, appetite and mood.
- ECT can provide relief for people with severe depression who have not been able to feel better with other treatments.
- ECT may cause some side effects, including confusion, disorientation and memory loss. Usually these side effects are short term, but sometimes they can linger.
A patient is put under brief anesthesia and given a muscle relaxant. He or she sleeps through the treatment and does not consciously feel the electrical impulses or feel pain. Within 1 hour after the treatment session, which takes only a few minutes, the patient is awake and alert.
Some people experience memory loss and confusions as a side effects, but those are usually for a short period of time.
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Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has a controversial past, but for more than 50 years, it has been both a safe and highly effective treatment for severe depression and certain other conditions. ECT affects brain chemistry associated with depression by applying a small amount of electrical energy to the brain to induce a brief seizure -- without associated body convulsions.
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Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may sometimes offer rapid relief for some people with schizophrenia. For instance, if a person with schizophrenia is actively suicidal, ECT may reduce this tendency. It can also help to reduce symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions. ECT is a therapy used to alter the chemistry of people's brains. In decades past, ECT caused injuries, brain damage, and other serious side effects. Today, ECT is considered safe and offers help for some people when no other treatments are working. ECT does come with some risks, including:
• Loss of memory
• Nausea and vomiting
• Aches and pains
• Confusion
• Other medical problems, like increasing heart rate and blood pressure
People who receive ECT are usually unconscious, under general anesthesia. After two or three treatments that last less than 15 minutes each, many people with schizophrenia notice an improvement in their symptoms.
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Typically, people are sedated (put to sleep) during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). In decades past, people were not put to sleep with anesthesia during the procedure, and serious side effects occurred, including physical injuries such broken bones. Using general anesthesia has made ECT safer, but some people can still have a reaction to the anesthesia. To reduce this risk, doctors thoroughly evaluate the health of ECT participants before administering the anesthesia. An anesthesiologist monitors patients during the procedure to make sure there are no dangerous consequences. Along with anesthesia, patients take a muscle relaxant before having ECT. The combination of anesthesia and the muscle relaxant leave patients unaware of the procedure, and unconscious. In less than 15 minutes, the procedure is complete, the anesthesia wears off, and the person is taken to a recovery room.
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Many people feel confused or disoriented immediately after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This side effect is most likely to occur for older adults. After the procedure, the person is taken to a recovery room for a few hours. Sometimes, rest helps people to feel better and recognize their surroundings again.
Other people may notice memory loss that lasts for weeks or months after treatment. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that research has demonstrated that administering ECT on one side of the head, instead of both sides, may help to reduce memory loss after treatment. Other side effects that can occur after ECT include:
- nausea and vomiting
- aches and pains
- tremors or muscle spasms
Over time, and after multiple sessions, ECT can improve some of the most severe schizophrenia symptoms, such as suicidal thoughts. Doctors will only use this treatment if the benefits outweigh any of the risks involved.
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Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatment for schizophrenia usually begins to work after two to three sessions. Most people require multiple treatments of ECT before their symptoms start to noticeably improve. Most people participate in ECT treatments three times a week for two to four weeks. To get the full benefit from the treatment, people will need to complete the entire treatment regimen. Upon completion, the person will discuss future schizophrenia treatment with a doctor. Often, the person will need to continue with medications and individual or group therapy, the most effective options to treat schizophrenia. Follow-up ECT treatments may also be scheduled.
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Scientists do not know exactly how electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) helps people with schizophrenia. According to the Mayo Clinic, ECT changes the brain chemistry in people with schizophrenia. During ECT, a person is sedated under general anesthesia. Electrodes are placed onto the person's scalp, and electrical currents pass through the electrodes into the person's brain. When ECT is performed, the person will have a brain seizure, causing brain chemical changes to take place. Since schizophrenia is caused by changes in brain functioning, ECT can be helpful to reduce some symptoms of the illness in a short amount of time. Over time, and with repeated sessions, ECT can reduce symptoms of severe mental illness.
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For the most part, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a safe and effective medical procedure used to treat schizophrenia. Like most medical procedures, ECT can produce some undesirable side effects. One of these side effects is that people may react to the anesthesia used in the procedure. People who have heart trouble may face an increased risk of complications from elevated heart rate and blood pressure. Another side effect that may be worrisome is memory loss. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, if ECT is performed only on one side of the brain, instead of both sides, this side effect may be reduced. People who receive ECT treatment may feel confused or disoriented for a few minutes or hours after the procedure. This side effect mostly occurs for older people and varies considerably from person to person.
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Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a medical procedure for people with schizophrenia that uses electrical currents to cause a brain seizure. During the procedure, the person will be put to sleep with general anesthesia. He will also be given a muscle relaxant to make sure that he doesn't move during treatment. A doctor may also give the person an intravenous (IV) catheter in his arm, along with an oxygen mask.
The doctor will place electrode pads on one or both sides of the person's head, which will feed an electrical current directly into his brain. This current will trigger a seizure in his brain. The procedure takes about 10 to 15 minutes, but the seizure will only last for about one minute. After the procedure, some people may feel disoriented or have short-term memory loss. After several treatments, severe symptoms of schizophrenia may be reduced.
