However, professional bodies such as the College of Psychiatry say ECT is an important and potentially life-saving treatment, which has helped many patients recover from mental ill-health. It seems that very often the benefits are short-lived, lasting no longer than a matter of weeks or even days.” “While some very depressed patients undoubtedly benefit from it, many don’t. “We wouldn’t accept this in any other form of medicine, yet we accept it in mental health,” Mr McCarthy said. Mental health campaigner John McCarthy said there should be no circumstances where ECT is administered without the consent of a patient. The figures, compiled by the Mental Health Commission, come at a time when campaigners are calling for an outright ban on forced administration of ECT.Ĭampaign groups representing service users such as MindFreedom Ireland and Mad Pride say the procedure is overused and want the forced used of ECT to be banned. However, where a patient is unable or unwilling to give consent, ECT must be approved by two consultant psychiatrists. In general, ECT may only be administered with the patient’s written consent. Official rules on ECT use state that it should only be used when alternative therapies have been considered or proved ineffective. Other reasons given included the physical deterioration of the patient, suicidal behaviour or because a rapid response was needed. The treatment was most commonly prescribed where a patient’s mental illness was not responsive to medication. Most patients who received ECT last year were diagnosed with depressive disorders, followed by schizophrenia and mania. The real scale of ECT usemin may be significantly higher, as the figures do not include patients who were referred to other hospitals for treatment. However, many mental health campaigners say the forced use of ECT is a human rights abuse and is the source of long-lasting side-effects such as memory loss. The resulting seizure can have significant beneficial effects, according to consultant psychiatrists. Of these, at least 43 involuntarily detained patients were either unable or unwilling to consent to about 300 doses of the treatment.ĮCT involves an electrical current being passed through the brain via electrodes applied to the scalp. Official statistics compiled for the first time show that about 400 psychiatric patients received 2,700 electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatments during 2008. ![]() This will reduce the risk of relapse.įor mental health conditions, ECT is usually given along with medicine, counseling, or both.Īsk your doctor when you can drive after having an ECT treatment.PATIENTS INVOLUNTARILY detained in psychiatric hospitals last year received hundreds of treatments of electric shock therapy against their will. They may continue for several months to a year. Maintenance treatments may be done once each week, tapering down to once each month. These chemicals include neurotransmitters like serotonin, natural pain relievers called endorphins, and catecholamines such as adrenaline.ĮCT treatments are usually done 2 to 3 times a week for 2 to 3 weeks. ECT probably works by altering brain chemicals (like medicines do). It's not known exactly how this brain stimulation helps treat depression. Because of anesthesia, the seizure activity related to ECT does not cause the body to convulse. The electrical stimulation, which lasts up to 8 seconds, produces a short seizure. They are placed on the temples or elsewhere on the head, depending on the condition being treated and the type of ECT. ![]() ![]() Then an electrical current is briefly sent to the brain through electrodes. And it can be used for other psychiatric and neurological conditions, such as schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.īefore ECT, you will get anesthesia to make you sleepy, and you'll get medicines to relax your muscles. It's also used when other treatments such as psychotherapy and antidepressant medicines have not worked. It may be used in people who have symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, or suicidal thoughts. ![]() Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure used to treat severe depression.
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