ECT

ECT is electroconvulsive therapy, often called 'shock treatment'. This is a form of treatment where a small electric current is delivered to the brain causing a small seizure. Patients are asleep during the treatment procedure and are given a muscle relaxant. The seizure lasts approximately 30 seconds and after 10 to 15 minutes the patient wakes up. A course of ECT is usually given three times weekly, with may people receiving 6 to 12 treatments overall. A positive response to treatment usually begins between 10 to 14 days.

ECT has received a lot of negative press primarily because of how it was used in the early years after it was discovered. A lot of misinformation about ECT continues to be found in the literature and on various websites.

ECT has a higher rate of success for severe depression than any other form of treatment. As a result it can be an excellent choice of treatment in patients with severe major depression, who have not responded to medication. It is also sometimes used for patients in whom a rapid response is needed, who are pregnant or in people wanting ECT because they have had previous success with it.

The American Psychiatric Association task force studying ECT considered it the treatment of choice for severe major depressive disorder when it is coupled with psychotic features, catatonic stupor, severe suicidal symptoms, or refusal to eat due to severe depression.

The most common side effects of ECT are short term confusion and memory loss for a brief period before and after ECT. These problems generally clear in a few weeks. Some patients report permanent memory loss for some events, which have occurred for a few months prior to, during, and for a few months after treatment.

Patient who have been treated with ECT often experience relapse of their depression within six months of treatments. As a result it is important for patients to receive medication treatment or maintenance ECT to decrease the chances of relapse. Some patients receive maintenance ECT every four to six weeks.