What are some complications of ECT?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a safe and effective treatment for severe mood disorders. Rarely there can be serious complications, such as postictal agitation, cardiovascular compromise, prolonged seizures, and status epilepticus, all of which are important for the clinician to recognize and treat.
What are the negative side effects of ECT?
What are the risks and side-effects of ECT?
- loss of memory about the events immediately before and after ECT.
- heart rhythm disturbances.
- low blood pressure.
- headaches.
- nausea.
- sore muscles, aching jaw.
- confusion.
What is the maximum number of ECT treatments?
The ECT taper from an acute series to a maintenance schedule is generally once a week for 4 treatments, then every 2 weeks for 4 treatments, then every 3 weeks for 4 treatments, then every 4 weeks. There is no limit on how long a patient can receive maintenance ECT provided the treatment is effective.
Can ECT make you worse?
Some people have very bad experiences of ECT, for example because they feel worse after treatment or are given it without consent. You might not want to risk the possibility of getting side effects.
What is the success rate of ECT therapy?
What is the Success Rate of Electroconvulsive Therapy? ECT is an effective medical treatment option, helping as many as 80-85 percent of patients who receive it. Most patients remain well for many months afterwards.
Who is a good candidate for ECT?
People who have had ECT before and responded well are good candidates for ECT. Other first-line indications for the procedure include people who are catatonic or suffering from a form of depression known as psychotic depression (depression associated with delusions and hallucinations).
Does ECT work immediately?
ECT can often work quickly, but 50% or more of the people who receive this treatment will relapse within several months if there is no subsequent treatment (for example, medicines) to prevent relapse.
Does ECT wear off?
After the Procedure Once the procedure is complete, the effects of the short-acting anesthetic and muscle relaxant will quickly begin to wear off. You will be taken to a recovery area where you will be monitored for any complications.
Does ECT work for anxiety?
ECT is not used to treat anxiety and therefore does not have a role in people who have solely an anxiety disorder. ECT may have a role in people who have comorbid depression and anxiety.
When should ECT not be used?
a past history of moderate or severe depression or. initial presentation of subthreshold depressive symptoms that have been present for a long period (typically at least 2 years) or. subthreshold depressive symptoms or mild depression that persist(s) after other interventions.
How quickly does ECT work for depression?
Many people begin to notice an improvement in their symptoms after about six treatments with electroconvulsive therapy. Full improvement may take longer, though ECT may not work for everyone. Response to antidepressant medications, in comparison, can take several weeks or more.
Does ECT damage the brain?
The review of literature and present evidence suggests that ECT has a demonstrable impact on the structure and function of the brain. However, there is a lack of evidence at present to suggest that ECT causes brain damage.
Can ECT change your personality?
ECT does not change a person’s personality, nor is it designed to treat those with just primary “personality disorders.” ECT can cause transient short-term memory — or new learning — impairment during a course of ECT, which fully reverses usually within one to four weeks after an acute course is stopped.
What medications should be stopped before ECT?
In general, medications that raise seizure threshold or impede seizure propagation (interfere with induction or spread of a robust seizure) should be avoided if possible, or the dose decreased (eg, anticonvulsants and benzodiazepines).
What happens if ECT doesnt work?
If nothing else has helped, including ECT, and you are still severely depressed, you may be offered neurosurgery for mental disorder (NMD), deep brain stimulation (DBS) or vagus nerve stimulation (VNS).
What kind of anesthesia is used for ECT?
Methohexital is most commonly used and is the preferred anesthetic for ECT because of its established safety record, effectiveness, and low cost. Propofol, while an effective induction anesthetic, has the greatest anticonvulsant properties of commonly used agents for ECT.
Is ECT therapy safe?
Electroconvulsive therapy is a safe, controlled procedure for depression and other psychological disorders that have not responded to other treatments. A small amount of electric current is passed through the brain in order to cause a brief seizure.
Does memory come back after ECT?
The most persistent adverse effect is retrograde amnesia. Shortly after ECT, most patients have gaps in their memory for events that occurred close in time to the course of ECT, but the amnesia may extend back several months or years. Retrograde amnesia usually improves during the first few months after ECT.
Why is ECT a last resort?
“The seizure is induced in a very controlled fashion, using a fairly precise delivery of an electric current.” Dr Davey says ECT is seen as a treatment option of last resort, to be used when nothing else has worked, or when there isn’t time to find the right medication for a patient, a process that can take months.
Does ECT lower IQ?
However, former patients have publicly testified that ECT can result in a very significant (>30 point) permanent decrement in IQ score (Food and Drug Administration, 1982; Andre, 2001; Cott, 2005: p. 5) and have documented the claims by extensive neuropsychological evaluation.
Can ECT lead to dementia?
The present study shows that notwithstanding other possible adverse long-term cognitive effects, ECT is not associated with an increased risk of dementia. This finding supports the continued use of ECT in patients with severe episodes of mood disorders, including those who are elderly.
Can ECT cause suicidal thoughts?
In a cohort of 148 patients with suicidal ideation who had received ECT, the authors found rapid and robust reductions on item 3 of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), which rates suicidal thoughts and acts.
Can ECT cause psychosis?
Depression with psychosis is a major indication for ECT; however, there are no guidelines for psychosis that develops after ECT treatments.
How long do the effects of ECT last?
We know that depressed patients often begin to respond after the first treatment and progress to wellness with 6 to 12 treatments. There is considerable variability in the trajectories, but most commonly there is progressive symptomatic improvement within the first week and complete remission within 3 to 4 weeks.
What does ECT feel like?
“It was like a mute button muffling the noise of my shrieking feelings.” So what is it actually like? You go in, have your blood pressure taken, sign a form, lie down, go to sleep, wake up with a slight headache and go home. And often, you feel instantly better.
Why does ECT work for depression?
The electrical stimulation triggers a seizure. Repeated a few times a week for a short period, ECT eliminates depressive symptoms for an extended time in many patients.