What is the maximum number of ECT treatments?
It is important to realize that a ‘course ‘ of ECT entails a series of treatments given 2-3 times per week until maximal improvement has occurred. Most patients require 6 to 12 total treatments.
Can ECT damage your brain?
Despite many scientific and governmental authorities having concluded that ECT does not cause brain damage, there is significant evidence that ECT has indeed caused brain damage in some patients, both historically and recently, and evidence that it always causes some form or degree of brain damage.
Is ECT effective long term?
That’s why ECT is most effective in people who receive a full course of multiple treatments. Even after your symptoms improve, you’ll still need ongoing depression treatment to prevent a recurrence.
What are the long term side effects of ECT?
Side effects of ECT can include slight memory loss, adverse reactions to anesthesia, hyper- and hypotension, and ongoing heart issues throughout life. Though these side effects are rare and can often be prevented through proper pre-diagnosis, they do add to the controversy of ECT therapy.
Can ECT make you worse?
ECT may have a role in people who have comorbid depression and anxiety. The concern of some psychiatrists is that while ECT may help with depressive symptoms, it could worsen anxiety symptoms, including obsessional thoughts or panic attacks.
Can ECT lead to dementia?
Amid ongoing concerns that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may affect cognition, new research suggests the treatment does not increase dementia risk in patients, even older ones, with affective disorders.
How common is memory loss with ECT?
One third of the surveyed patients who had ECT, better known as “shock therapy,” reported persistent memory loss as a result. Many patients had very conflicted feelings about ECT, lead researcher Diana Rose, PhD, tells WebMD.
Can ECT cause permanent memory loss?
ECT can cause permanent memory loss, particularly after bilateral electrode placement, suprathreshold stimulus intensity, sine wave stimulation, or large numbers of treatments—usually more than 20.
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 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 success rate of ECT?
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.
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.
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).
What mental illness does ECT treat?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a medical treatment most commonly used in patients with severe major depression or bipolar disorder that has not responded to other treatments. ECT involves a brief electrical stimulation of the brain while the patient is under anesthesia.
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.
What happens if ECT doesnt work?
If electroconvulsive therapy doesn’t work, the next step could be deep brain stimulation (DBS) — a depression treatment that is currently considered experimental.
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.
Does ECT work for anxiety?
Electroconvulsive therapy is effective in the acute treatment of major depressive disorder patients associated with anxiety symptoms. Anxiety symptoms improved less than depression symptoms during acute electroconvulsive therapy.
Can ECT cause suicidal thoughts?
For the whole cohort, 28.5%, 40.7%, and 51.5% were readmitted or committed suicide at 3, 6, and 12 months post-discharge, respectively. In the subgroup of patients who had responded to ECT (n = 540), rates at 3, 6, and 12 months were 22.8%, 33.9%, and 43.7%, respectively.
Why is ECT a controversial treatment?
Reasons for Controversy Three reasons are given for the aversion: 1) ECT is considered old-fashioned and politically incorrect; 2) it is forced on the patient; and 3) the memory disturbances are so severe and persistent that no rational human being would undergo this procedure, no matter how well-intended.
How long after ECT can you drive?
Patients who are given ECT on an outpatient basis must have someone drive them home after the procedure and stay with them until they go to sleep at night. People should not drive in the 24 hours following ECT.
Does ECT cause weight gain?
During ECT, all patients increased their caloric intake (280 +/- 180 to 1,510 +/- 60 kcal/day, mean +/- SEM) to exceed their basal energy expenditure; major improvements in their depressive symptoms and weight gain were seen in five of the six patients.
How often is maintenance ECT?
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.
What medications should be stopped before ECT?
Medication Information: Benzodiazepines, Depakote, Lamictal, Neurontin, Trileptal – Do not take the night time dose or morning dose before your treatment. Lithium – Do not take for 24 hours before each treatment. Glucophage/Metformin – Do not take for 12 hours before each treatment.
Can you drink water before ECT?
8 hours before you get ECT, stop eating and drinking anything except water and black coffee (no cream or sugar).
How do you prepare a patient for ECT?
Before Your Procedure Because electroconvulsive therapy is performed under general anesthesia, you should not eat, drink, or smoke after midnight on the days of your treatments. Do not drink alcohol or use any illegal drugs over the course of the treatment.
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.
Does ECT require conscious sedation?
ECT requires both general anesthesia and paralysis. Pretreatment with glycopyrrolate may reduce the incidence of bradycardia and decrease oral secretions following the initial parasympathetic response. Induction is intravenous, followed by complete paralysis and placement of a bite block.
Do you get intubated for ECT?
Patients are not intubated for ECT, except under extremely rare circumstances. An intravenous line is inserted in the patient’s arm, through which the anesthetic and muscle relaxant medications are administered.
How is ECT delivered?
In ECT, electrical current is delivered to a patient’s brain via electrodes placed on the scalp to induce a seizure while the patient is under anesthesia and a muscle relaxant.