Electroshock Therapy
Electroshock therapy what is it? How does it work? What is it used for and what comes
from it? This paper will answer all of these questions and will also try to prove that
electroshock therapy is useful and not as bad as it appears to be. Electroshock therapy is
an old process of ridding schizophrenia, and depression, and suicidal tendencies. It is used
when people with major depression are taking too many anti depressant drugs, can’t take
the side-effects of their medication, or they are taking too many drugs and anti-depressant
drugs are too risky to take. It is also used to irradiate certain cases of schizophrenia and is
being studied to treat dementia. (Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment p.78).
Convulsive therapy using drugs rather than electricity was introduced in 1934 by
Hungarian neuropsychiatrist Ladisles meduna , who speculated that seizures (similar to the
ones occurring in epilepsy) could probably alleviate mental disorders. He based his theory
on the belief that epileptic seizures prevented the symptoms of schizophrenia. Although this
was a good theory, the drugs administered to the patients to induce these seizures was too
risky to the patients lives. In 1937 psychiatrists started using electric shocks to induce
seizures. In 1939 ECT was in wide use in the United States. In those days ECT was
unrefined and resulted in many complications and was terribly abused. Today ECT is
more refined, safe, and effective (Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment p.78). How
does it work? Electroshock therapy or ECT involves exposing the brain to carefully
controlled pulses of electric current that induce brief seizures. The reason why
electroshock therapy relieves depression is still unknown. Researchers believe that
Electroshock therapy alters monoamine function, as do the anti-depressant drugs. The
process of inducing seizures through electroshock is not as complicated or as dangerous
as people think. The patient is placed in a specially equipped room, where a clinical team
first issues intravenous general anesthetic. After this a muscle relaxant is given to the
patient. Oxygen is administered and an electric current is applied through electrodes. The
patient undergoing the ECT does not feel the electric current, and the only reaction
noticeable is the patients toes curling (Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment p.78).
The placing of electrodes is still a matter of ongoing research. In unilateral treatment the
electrodes are placed two or three inches apart on the same side of the head. The side
that is chosen is the same side as the dominant hand. This method is said to reduce short
term memory loss and confusion, another method of ECT is placing the electrodes over
both temples. This method is proved to work better than unilateral treatment(Mental
Illness Assessment and Treatment p.79). Electroshock therapy consists of a series of
treatments, a patient is usually scheduled for two to three times a week for six to twelve
treatments of depression. The treatment tine for schizophrenia is usually twenty-five to
thirty treatment. The entire ECT process takes anywhere from twenty to forty minutes
from start to finish (Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment p.79). Even though ECT
predominantly effective, there are many risks involved including drowsiness and confusion
for about an hour. Short-term memory loss will occur, but there memory will come back
to them in tine. Another risk of ECT is the patient’s heat is affected by the seizures and the
drugs, i.e. muscle relaxants, anesthesia, and barbiturates. Side effects such as headaches,
speech loss, nausea, muscle soreness, and skin burns ( around the electrode sights). These
sides effects go away within a few hours, with acceptation of speech loss coordination
which might take up to six months to recover(Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment
p.79). Depression is a disorder that affects millions of people everyday, some of these
people have suicidal urges and need help desperately. They could take antidepressant
drugs, but these become addictive and have sides effects such as nausea, vomiting,
digestive problems, drowsiness, damage to hearing and sight, also it could lead to stronger
depression. These anti-depressant drugs are only temporary relief. These medications’ can
also have long term damages too, but only five percent of users reported this (Jack
Mendelson, MD p.25). Schizophrenic victims, contrary to popular belief, are highly
intelligent, but tend to see life as a collage of disassociated and often frightening
impressions. These people also have trouble coping with the outside world, and are
usually locked away in hospitals for life on strong prescription of medications. These do
not solve their problems, whereas electroshock therapy can solve their problems for life
with side-effects lasting only six months at the most amount of time. ECT can solve both
these clinical conditions permanently, but there are still those in society that look down
upon ECT because of past rumors, and their lack of up-to-date knowledge of this subject.
Doctors seem to use ECT as a last resort after contaminating patients’ bodies with drugs.
Electroshock therapy is not only a good idea, but in some cases a necessity. For example
if there is a person going through manic-depression this can be a very helpful cure.
Especially if this person may have suicidal tendencies. It also helps many individuals who
can not tolerate the standard medications prescribed for mental illness. (Dabiri USA
Today). A lot of medications used for depression and schizophrenia such as prozac have
terrible side effects and are being considered to be taken off the pharmaceutical market.
Prozac was first used in the 1930’s in Italy and is still used, while temporary drugs(prozac,
ritalin) will eventually reach a downfall. The trend of depression has risen greatly in the
90’s and some people really do need such treatments as ECT to help. Electroshock
therapy is not a popular practice in the mental illness treatment field. Many people still
believe that it is barbaric and does not deserve a place in today’s society. People still have
dark and gory images of ECT from such books as One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest,
where ECT was graphically portrayed as a grisly machine that enhanced dementia. This is
not necessarily true though, ECT is more safe and effective than alternative drugs used to
treat these symptoms can become addictive and sometimes lethal, oh yes lethal! Maybe
some day people will see electroshock therapy not as a danger, but as a productive way
to rid mental illness. ECT may seem risky and dangerous at the time, but with science and
technological advances improving daily, this could be a miracle cure for widespread
mental illness that affects many different people all over the world. Electroshock Therapy
Electroshock therapy what is it? How does it work? What is it used for and what comes
from it? This paper will answer all of these questions and will also try to prove that
electroshock therapy is useful and not as bad as it appears to be. Electroshock therapy is
an old process of ridding schizophrenia, and depression, and suicidal tendencies. It is used
when people with major depression are taking too many anti depressant drugs, can’t take
the side-effects of their medication, or they are taking too many drugs and anti-depressant
drugs are too risky to take. It is also used to irradiate certain cases of schizophrenia and is
being studied to treat dementia. (Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment p.78).
Convulsive therapy using drugs rather than electricity was introduced in 1934 by
Hungarian neuropsychiatrist Ladisles meduna , who speculated that seizures (similar to the
ones occurring in epilepsy) could probably alleviate mental disorders. He based his theory
on the belief that epileptic seizures prevented the symptoms of schizophrenia. Although this
was a good theory, the drugs administered to the patients to induce these seizures was too
risky to the patients lives. In 1937 psychiatrists started using electric shocks to induce
seizures. In 1939 ECT was in wide use in the United States. In those days ECT was
unrefined and resulted in many complications and was terribly abused. Today ECT is
more refined, safe, and effective (Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment p.78). How
does it work? Electroshock therapy or ECT involves exposing the brain to carefully
controlled pulses of electric current that induce brief seizures. The reason why
electroshock therapy relieves depression is still unknown. Researchers believe that
Electroshock therapy alters monoamine function, as do the anti-depressant drugs. The
process of inducing seizures through electroshock is not as complicated or as dangerous
as people think. The patient is placed in a specially equipped room, where a clinical team
first issues intravenous general anesthetic. After this a muscle relaxant is given to the
patient. Oxygen is administered and an electric current is applied through electrodes. The
patient undergoing the ECT does not feel the electric current, and the only reaction
noticeable is the patients toes curling (Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment p.78).
The placing of electrodes is still a matter of ongoing research. In unilateral treatment the
electrodes are placed two or three inches apart on the same side of the head. The side
that is chosen is the same side as the dominant hand. This method is said to reduce short
term memory loss and confusion, another method of ECT is placing the electrodes over
both temples. This method is proved to work better than unilateral treatment(Mental
Illness Assessment and Treatment p.79). Electroshock therapy consists of a series of
treatments, a patient is usually scheduled for two to three times a week for six to twelve
treatments of depression. The treatment tine for schizophrenia is usually twenty-five to
thirty treatment. The entire ECT process takes anywhere from twenty to forty minutes
from start to finish (Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment p.79). Even though ECT
predominantly effective, there are many risks involved including drowsiness and confusion
for about an hour. Short-term memory loss will occur, but there memory will come back
to them in tine. Another risk of ECT is the patient’s heat is affected by the seizures and the
drugs, i.e. muscle relaxants, anesthesia, and barbiturates. Side effects such as headaches,
speech loss, nausea, muscle soreness, and skin burns ( around the electrode sights). These
sides effects go away within a few hours, with acceptation of speech loss coordination
which might take up to six months to recover(Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment
p.79). Depression is a disorder that affects millions of people everyday, some of these
people have suicidal urges and need help desperately. They could take antidepressant
drugs, but these become addictive and have sides effects such as nausea, vomiting,
digestive problems, drowsiness, damage to hearing and sight, also it could lead to stronger
depression. These anti-depressant drugs are only temporary relief. These medications’ can
also have long term damages too, but only five percent of users reported this (Jack
Mendelson, MD p.25). Schizophrenic victims, contrary to popular belief, are highly
intelligent, but tend to see life as a collage of disassociated and often frightening
impressions. These people also have trouble coping with the outside world, and are
usually locked away in hospitals for life on strong prescription of medications. These do
not solve their problems, whereas electroshock therapy can solve their problems for life
with side-effects lasting only six months at the most amount of time. ECT can solve both
these clinical conditions permanently, but there are still those in society that look down
upon ECT because of past rumors, and their lack of up-to-date knowledge of this subject.
Doctors seem to use ECT as a last resort after contaminating patients’ bodies with drugs.
Electroshock therapy is not only a good idea, but in some cases a necessity. For example
if there is a person going through manic-depression this can be a very helpful cure.
Especially if this person may have suicidal tendencies. It also helps many individuals who
can not tolerate the standard medications prescribed for mental illness. (Dabiri USA
Today). A lot of medications used for depression and schizophrenia such as prozac have
terrible side effects and are being considered to be taken off the pharmaceutical market.
Prozac was first used in the 1930’s in Italy and is still used, while temporary drugs(prozac,
ritalin) will eventually reach a downfall. The trend of depression has risen greatly in the
90’s and some people really do need such treatments as ECT to help. Electroshock
therapy is not a popular practice in the mental illness treatment field. Many people still
believe that it is barbaric and does not deserve a place in today’s society. People still have
dark and gory images of ECT from such books as One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest,
where ECT was graphically portrayed as a grisly machine that enhanced dementia. This is
not necessarily true though, ECT is more safe and effective than alternative drugs used to
treat these symptoms can become addictive and sometimes lethal, oh yes lethal! Maybe
some day people will see electroshock therapy not as a danger, but as a productive way
to rid mental illness. ECT may seem risky and dangerous at the time, but with science and
technological advances improving daily, this could be a miracle cure for widespread
mental illness that affects many different people all over the world.
