What Is ETC (Electroconvulsive Therapy)?
November 6th 2011 18:50
]I had to think about this question a few months ago. My son suffers from bipolar disorder and tried to commit suicide. Not an easy topic to talk about but nonetheless real in his life, thereby effecting us as his parents too.
What is ETC - electroconvulsive therapy?
During the ECT treatment , electrodes are put on the patient's scalp and a finely controlled electric current is applied. The current causes a brief seizure in the brain. Chemicals, called neurotransmitters, deliver messages from one brain cell to another. ECT's effects on these chemicals causes A person's mood to improve and the depression lifts remarkably.
Put bluntly like this, it seems as though the patient is placed on a bed, electrodes placed all over his head and the current being switched on! This is the unfortunate idea some people and false, sometimes wrong interpreted, media coverage are propagating. Let us take a walk through the full procedure.
Preparing for an Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Treatment
This treatment is always done by a qualified psychiatrist. As with any other doctor, a trust relationship must exist between the patient and the psychiatrist. He should inform the patient about the working of any medication he prescribes. Gone are the days when patients had no access to professional information; doctors know that many patients will search the Internet for information on their problems. As you need to be sure of the correctness of articles on the Internet as not all you read has been scientifically tested, your doctor should supply you with the correct information and give you the opportunity to make an informed decision as to whether undergo ECT treatment or not. .
The psychiatrist prescribes antidepressants, sometimes other medication as well, to his patient. Unfortunately antidepressants does not always have the wanted effect on people suffering from depression; This procedure is often the only and fastest way to treat severely depressed or suicidal patients. They may become a severe threat to themselves or others and it is dangerous to wait until other medications take effect.
A severely depressed person may be admitted to a psychiatric hospital or sometimes is treated as an out-patient. In both cases some tests are performed before treatment can be planned.
Tests Before ETC
Blood tests, an electrocardiogram (a test showing the rhythm of your heart), EEG (Electroencephalography refers to the recording of the brain's spontaneous electrical activity over a short period of time, usually 20–40 minutes) and any other physical tests the specialist may find necessary. These results and everything that will be done during the procedure must be discussed with the patient. If the patient agrees and gives permission for the procedure, he/she signs a permission form. Consent may be withdraw at any stage before it is done.
To ensure that the patient is relaxed during the ETC a muscle relaxant is taken by the patient. After that is then transferred to the ETC room where qualified medical staff attends to him/her. Most of these ETC’s personnel sets a relaxed and friendly atmosphere to put the patient at ease.
Normal operating theatre procedures are followed; heart rate, blood pressure and breathing will be watched closely during the mild anaesthesia.
Electrodes are placed on the patient's scalp and a finely controlled, low voltage electric current is applied. A conscientious psychiatrist performs an EEG carefully monitoring the brain activity during the brief seizure caused by the electrical current. The low voltage current applied will last only 1 or 2 seconds. Because the patient’s muscles are relaxed, the visible effects of the seizure will usually be limited to slight movement of the hands and feet.
The patient awakens minutes later in the recovery room where qualified nurses takes care of him/her, not remembering the treatment or events surrounding it.
How Many Treatments Are Given?
ECT is usually given 3 times a week, skipping every other day between treatments. Depending on the severity of the patient’s depression, 6 to 12 treatments are needed to relieve depression but occasionally as many as 20 can be given.
Side Effects
- Side effects may result from the anaesthesia, the ECT treatment or both.
- confusion, nausea, muscle aches and headache may be experienced.
- Short term memory may be effected for a few days or weeks.
- The patient may also wake-up somewhat confused. The confusion typically lasts for only a short period of time. .
Important Note: It is essential for the patient to keep taking his/her prescribed medicine the way the doctor suggests to prevent such deep depression occurring again. If the patient becomes depressed, it is important to pay a visit to the psychologist or psychiatrist again.
How Safe Is an ETC?
ECT is safe and among the most effective treatments available for depression. As already stated, an ECT is not the first procedure to be taken. It will be decided on after:
• several different medications have been tried but have not helped
• the side-effects of antidepressants are too severe
• the patient have found ECT helpful in the past
• patient is seriously considering suicide.
In conclusion I hope this information has answered, or has been encouragement, to take the right steps when you, or someone close to you, undergo ECT treatment. In the past ECT treatment was over-prescribed and perhaps too high voltages might have been applied causing long-term damage. I began this article with my son’s condition; in conclusion I can only say that there is great improvement in his mood swings and he is able to handle crisis situations much better than before.
What is ETC - electroconvulsive therapy?
During the ECT treatment , electrodes are put on the patient's scalp and a finely controlled electric current is applied. The current causes a brief seizure in the brain. Chemicals, called neurotransmitters, deliver messages from one brain cell to another. ECT's effects on these chemicals causes A person's mood to improve and the depression lifts remarkably.
Put bluntly like this, it seems as though the patient is placed on a bed, electrodes placed all over his head and the current being switched on! This is the unfortunate idea some people and false, sometimes wrong interpreted, media coverage are propagating. Let us take a walk through the full procedure.
Preparing for an Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Treatment
This treatment is always done by a qualified psychiatrist. As with any other doctor, a trust relationship must exist between the patient and the psychiatrist. He should inform the patient about the working of any medication he prescribes. Gone are the days when patients had no access to professional information; doctors know that many patients will search the Internet for information on their problems. As you need to be sure of the correctness of articles on the Internet as not all you read has been scientifically tested, your doctor should supply you with the correct information and give you the opportunity to make an informed decision as to whether undergo ECT treatment or not. .
The psychiatrist prescribes antidepressants, sometimes other medication as well, to his patient. Unfortunately antidepressants does not always have the wanted effect on people suffering from depression; This procedure is often the only and fastest way to treat severely depressed or suicidal patients. They may become a severe threat to themselves or others and it is dangerous to wait until other medications take effect.
A severely depressed person may be admitted to a psychiatric hospital or sometimes is treated as an out-patient. In both cases some tests are performed before treatment can be planned.
Tests Before ETC
Blood tests, an electrocardiogram (a test showing the rhythm of your heart), EEG (Electroencephalography refers to the recording of the brain's spontaneous electrical activity over a short period of time, usually 20–40 minutes) and any other physical tests the specialist may find necessary. These results and everything that will be done during the procedure must be discussed with the patient. If the patient agrees and gives permission for the procedure, he/she signs a permission form. Consent may be withdraw at any stage before it is done.
To ensure that the patient is relaxed during the ETC a muscle relaxant is taken by the patient. After that is then transferred to the ETC room where qualified medical staff attends to him/her. Most of these ETC’s personnel sets a relaxed and friendly atmosphere to put the patient at ease.
Normal operating theatre procedures are followed; heart rate, blood pressure and breathing will be watched closely during the mild anaesthesia.
Electrodes are placed on the patient's scalp and a finely controlled, low voltage electric current is applied. A conscientious psychiatrist performs an EEG carefully monitoring the brain activity during the brief seizure caused by the electrical current. The low voltage current applied will last only 1 or 2 seconds. Because the patient’s muscles are relaxed, the visible effects of the seizure will usually be limited to slight movement of the hands and feet.
The patient awakens minutes later in the recovery room where qualified nurses takes care of him/her, not remembering the treatment or events surrounding it.
How Many Treatments Are Given?
ECT is usually given 3 times a week, skipping every other day between treatments. Depending on the severity of the patient’s depression, 6 to 12 treatments are needed to relieve depression but occasionally as many as 20 can be given.
Side Effects
- Side effects may result from the anaesthesia, the ECT treatment or both.
- confusion, nausea, muscle aches and headache may be experienced.
- Short term memory may be effected for a few days or weeks.
- The patient may also wake-up somewhat confused. The confusion typically lasts for only a short period of time. .
Important Note: It is essential for the patient to keep taking his/her prescribed medicine the way the doctor suggests to prevent such deep depression occurring again. If the patient becomes depressed, it is important to pay a visit to the psychologist or psychiatrist again.
How Safe Is an ETC?
ECT is safe and among the most effective treatments available for depression. As already stated, an ECT is not the first procedure to be taken. It will be decided on after:
• several different medications have been tried but have not helped
• the side-effects of antidepressants are too severe
• the patient have found ECT helpful in the past
• patient is seriously considering suicide.
In conclusion I hope this information has answered, or has been encouragement, to take the right steps when you, or someone close to you, undergo ECT treatment. In the past ECT treatment was over-prescribed and perhaps too high voltages might have been applied causing long-term damage. I began this article with my son’s condition; in conclusion I can only say that there is great improvement in his mood swings and he is able to handle crisis situations much better than before.
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