A person may receive ECT two or three times a week for a total of between six and 12 sessions. The frequency and number of sessions will differ among individuals depending on the severity of the condition and the effectiveness of treatment.
After the session, a person must not drive for 24 hours. They should also try to arrange for someone to stay with them until they go to sleep.
Although ECT is an effective treatment, a person will need to continue their medication and receive more ECT sessions to prevent a relapse. Their observations suggest that ECT may have several effects, including :. Doctors may recommend ECT for people with various mental health conditions, including :.
The reason for this is that an ECT-induced seizure can elevate blood pressure, intracranial pressure, and oxygen consumption, affecting heart and breathing rate. People respond differently to ECT, and some individuals may experience more serious side effects than others.
Common side effects of ECT include :. More serious but rare side effects include irregular heart and breathing rate. Some people may also experience more memory loss than others.
ECT is one of the oldest and most controversial psychiatric treatments. While some countries ban its use, others use it widely. The negative perceptions of ECT originate from previous misuse and the historical lack of consistent administration of general anesthetics or muscle relaxants.
Furthermore, when healthcare professionals first introduced ECT, many people did not consent to the therapy. As a result, they often received ECT against their will or did not know the full extent of its side effects. Newer neuromodulation techniques, including transcranial magnetic stimulation TMS and vagus nerve stimulation VNS , can also be effective treatments for severe depression and other mental health conditions.
ECT is an effective treatment option for people who do not feel better after taking medication or going through therapy. It can be especially useful if a patient is suicidal, is not responding to medications or cannot tolerate the side effects of medication.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation TMS is used to treat depression that has not responded to other therapies. It involves the use of rapidly alternating magnetic fields to stimulate specific areas of the brain.
TMS typically only has mild side effects including headaches, muscle twitches and pain at the stimulation site. TMS is usually administered four or five times a week for four-to-six weeks.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation VNS was developed as a treatment for seizure disorders but can also be used to treat depression that has not responded to other therapies. William McDonald, M. Laura Fochtmann, M. I agree. Does ECT Work? What is Mental Illness? What is Psychotherapy? The researchers tested healthy mice to see if they responded to antidepressant drugs. Using the forced swim test, they found that mice given 10 milligrams per kilogram of injected ketamine floated for about 75 seconds compared with seconds for mice not given the drug.
The researchers then looked in the mice without Narp to see if they responded to ketamine. Mice without Narp not given the drug floated for about seconds, whereas Narp-less mice given ketamine floated for about 90 seconds. Department of Defense. Skip Navigation. Published in Brain Wise Spring Before the ECT procedure, the person is given a general anaesthetic and a muscle relaxant.
Electrodes are placed on one unilateral or both bilateral sides of the scalp and a small electric current is passed between these until a brief generalised seizure occurs. The person does not feel anything due to the anaesthetic, and does not convulse due to the muscle relaxant.
The person wakes up five to 10 minutes after treatment and is usually clear headed within 30 minutes. Often, people do not clearly recall the time around the ECT treatment and, at first, may have little memory about the period of illness around the treatment.
Often, memory of these events gradually returns see below for more information on side-effects. If ECT is done on an outpatient basis, a family member or friend must drive the person home after the procedure driving is not allowed in the 24 hours following an ECT session and stay until he or she goes to sleep that night.
The person should be re-assessed after every session of ECT. Generally, symptoms start to improve after two sessions. It is not understood exactly how ECT works to treat depression and the outcomes may vary from person to person. The greatest risk with ECT is associated with the anaesthetic, which has a very small risk of death often quoted as one in , Like any procedure involving an anaesthetic, ECT involves this small amount of risk, but overall, it is regarded as a very safe treatment.
Despite the myths about ECT causing brain damage, MRI studies have shown that it does not change the brain anatomy in any way, as the strength of the electrical current is too low to harm brain tissue. Some people who have undergone ECT recommend writing down passwords, PINs, phone numbers and special dates, and keeping them in a safe place in case they cannot be recalled in the period after the treatment.
A common and significant side-effect is difficulties with memory — this is reported by at least one in three people 1 who have ECT.
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