Why are mental patients given electric shock?

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure, done under general anesthesia, in which small electric currents are passed through the brain, intentionally triggering a brief seizure. ECT seems to cause changes in brain chemistry that can quickly reverse symptoms of certain mental health conditions.

Can ECT cure psychosis?

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a remarkably effective treatment for major depressive disorder, but is less commonly utilized for treatment of psychotic disorders. Recent literature indicates that ECT can be a useful strategy for a wide range of psychotic disorders, including treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

What is the success rate of ECT therapy?

These sessions improve depression in 70 to 90 percent of patients, a response rate much higher than that of antidepressant drugs. Although ECT is effective, its benefits are short-lived. For this reason, patients take antidepressant medication after ECT or may continue receiving ECT periodically to prevent relapse.

Does electroshock therapy work for anxiety?

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 you get brain damage from ECT?

Despite many scientific and governmental authorities having concluded that ECT does not cause brain damage, there is significant evidence that ECT has indeed caused brain damage in some patients, both historically and recently, and evidence that it always causes some form or degree of brain damage.

Does ECT help with delusions?

For some illnesses, such as major depression with psychosis, manic delirium, and catatonia, ECT is effective in relieving the delusional states. This activity of ECT as an antidelusional agent compels us to consider the mode of action of ECT as broader than as an antidepressant treatment alone.

Does ECT worsen anxiety?

ECT may have a role in people who have comorbid depression and anxiety. The concern of some psychiatrists is that while ECT may help with depressive symptoms, it could worsen anxiety symptoms, including obsessional thoughts or panic attacks.

Do mental hospitals still use shock therapy?

But electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is still being used — more in Europe than the United States — and it may be the most effective short-term treatment for some patients with depressive symptoms, a newly published review in the journal The Lancet suggests.

What are the benefits of electric shock therapy?

The benefits of electric shock therapy. A new study of ECT finds it more effective than drugs for depression. A comprehensive study of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) by British researchers has found that the treatment is effective in relieving depression, and in some cases may be more effective than medication.

How much does ECT therapy cost?

Usually, however, ECT costs between $300 and $800 per treatment, an amount which covers the psychiatrist, anesthetist, and a variety of hospital charges. With eight as the average number of treatments, this means a course of ECT treatment will usually cost between $2,400 and $6,400.

What are the long term effects of ECT?

Side effects. Effects on memory One of the main reasons ECT is considered a controversial therapy concerns the purported effects of the therapy on memory. ECT may cause both retrograde amnesia (the loss of memories that existed prior to treatment) and anterograde amnesia (loss of memories formed after treatment). Memory loss…