Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure that involves electric currents being passed through the brain in order to trigger a brief seizure. The procedure involves electrodes that are placed on the patient's scalp in order to apply a controlled electric current, thereby causing a brief seizure in the brain. Prior to the treatment, the patient is given a muscle relaxant. Also, the patient will be under general anesthesia over the course of the procedure. ECT has proven to be effective in terms of treating certain mental illnesses such as depression. In fact, it often works when other treatments have been unsuccessful and is seen as a last resort. However, there is controversy concerning whether ECT causes brain damage, since it has lead
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The main issues concerning the safety of ECT include memory loss, the death rate and cognitive problems. First, it has been proven true that, following ECT treatments, a substantial amount of patients experience bouts of confusion and episodes of memory loss that sometimes end shortly after or last for days. Secondly, the death rate for ECT is 1 per 10,000 patients and it varies between 0 and 0.8% of patients treated. The death of the ECT patients usually resulted from cardiac complications. Moreover, critics of ECT suggest that it could lead to long-lasting memory problems (Reisner, 2003). The treatment might also cause severe physical ailments (mainly associated with orthopedics) among other discomforts such as nausea and headaches. Perhaps the most chilling anecdote detailing a failed and messy ECT experience is Terri Cheney’s account of her experience with ECT. Cheney, who narrated her journey with these treatments, discusses how she experienced memory loss and unusual behavior, before it eventually almost cost her her life as she attempted to commit suicide months into the
The main issues concerning the safety of ECT include memory loss, the death rate and cognitive problems. First, it has been proven true that, following ECT treatments, a substantial amount of patients experience bouts of confusion and episodes of memory loss that sometimes end shortly after or last for days. Secondly, the death rate for ECT is 1 per 10,000 patients and it varies between 0 and 0.8% of patients treated. The death of the ECT patients usually resulted from cardiac complications. Moreover, critics of ECT suggest that it could lead to long-lasting memory problems (Reisner, 2003). The treatment might also cause severe physical ailments (mainly associated with orthopedics) among other discomforts such as nausea and headaches. Perhaps the most chilling anecdote detailing a failed and messy ECT experience is Terri Cheney’s account of her experience with ECT. Cheney, who narrated her journey with these treatments, discusses how she experienced memory loss and unusual behavior, before it eventually almost cost her her life as she attempted to commit suicide months into the