Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, is a highly effective yet controversial psychiatric method that involves sending electric shockwaves into the brain to cure various mental ailments. Because the populace is not typically educated by psychiatrists on techniques such as ECT, their knowledge comes from inaccurate, and mostly negative, descriptions in the media dictated by non-psychiatrists. Additionally, many patient families are skeptical of ECT because it is not common practice to allow non-medical staff in the therapy room. Furthermore, some psychiatrists perceive this treatment as callous because it is occasionally used without the consent of a patient, should they not be mentally stable. Moreover, because of strong public opposition, ECT …show more content…
An absence of education on the treatment is one of the most major reasons why electroconvulsive therapy is so strongly detested. Furthermore, individuals are not typically informed by psychiatrists on a technique such as ECT unless they are experiencing it personally, or someone they know is going through it. Consequently, countless individuals end up getting exposed to ECT for the first time through movies and other media depictions where it is, more often than not, portrayed negatively. Kellner states, “There have also been frequent misrepresentations of ECT in the media, and individuals and groups with particular social and political agendas have continued to convey distorted information about ECT (2)” (p. 1238). Education on ECT is so desperately needed for the reason that the information the majority of people seem to be given is incorrect or not based on fact. Additionally, these representations of the procedure are most always made to attack the treatment and render it inhumane. Moreover, the populous needs to be receiving their information from actual practitioners of this procedure, as opposed to those who are not, as it can help eliminate any inconsistencies or fallacies. By removing these misconceptions, numerous electroconvulsive therapy debates can be resolved, and a large amount of negative stigma towards the procedure can be …show more content…
Currently, there is a lack of studies in regards to whether or not this therapy causes significant damage to the brain. Correspondingly, there is little research done in regards to how great relapse rates are and how long the treatment can truly last. Consequently, many people have abstained from receiving treatment to avoid any possibility of impairment or reversion. However, it has not been denied nor confirmed that ECT directly causes the aforementioned results. Moreover, many theories created to downplay electroconvulsive therapy’s effectiveness are being brought back into the spotlight, including one that attributes ECT’s success to brain damage. Breggin states, “More recently [Harold] Sackeim and Sackeim with a team of colleagues have covertly revived the principle that a therapeutic response depends upon the degree of brain damage and dysfunction” (par. 17). Although this theory was made to discredit ECT, there has been no research done to disprove its accuracy. Furthermore, because of a lack of research, when a new study such as this comes out, many people believe it right away no matter how erroneous it may actually be. More research on ECT is desperately needed to see if these theories are factual or not. As a result of these truths or fallacies, the therapy can be improved upon
These medications made him gain excessive weight and contract serious acne, and they did not even prevent him from attempting suicide several more times. He was also placed in a group home when he was a young man but did not feel safe there. Group environments, medication, and the council he sought at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were not working for Kazmierczak, so the treatment option of Electroconvulsive Shock Therapy (ECT) seems to be appropriate. According to the textbook, ECT is used as a last resort for patients who suffer from Major Depression and may be seriously considering suicide. As someone who did not benefit from other types of treatment, Kazmierczak would have been a good candidate for the procedure. After being given a muscle relaxer, an anaesthetic, and being properly protected from the convulsions that would go through his body, a doctor would administer an electric through the
... in assisting those who care about the bipolar individual, as well as providing socialization and a means to not feel alone. Generally, as a last resort, electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT is used. An electrical current is passed through the brain. This is thought to change the brain chemistry and increase the mood. This is used only for severe depression or when symptoms are unsuccessfully treated with medications. People with Bipolar Disorder are encouraged to avoid drinking alcohol, avoid the use of street drugs or misusing prescription medications, avoid unhealthy relationships, get plenty of sleep, and exercise on a regular basis. One thing is clear. The person themselves must be active in their own well-being in order to maintain a relatively healthy and productive lifestyle. In so doing, the prognosis for someone diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder is very good.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a treatment for severe mental illness in which the brain is stimulated with a strong electrical current which induces a seizure. The seizure rearranges the brain's neurochemistry and results in an elevation of mood. This essay asks: Is ECT any safer and more effective in treating mood disorders than drug therapies? This treatment has a controversial history ever since it was first introduced in 1938. I intend to argue that electroconvulsive therapy is indeed a safe treatment of mental disorders when other treatments have failed. Due to the development of safer and less traumatic ways of administering ECT, the treatment has made a comeback, is greatly used, and proves to be effective.
Psychiatry is a very abstract study. That is why they call it a "soft science." It's earliest roots are only decades, not centuries. In the novel Regeneration, by Pat Barker, their are two different types of therapy used in psychiatry at the time, electric shock therapy and communication therapy. Electric shock therapy is immoral. It is painful to the patient and does not have a a high rate of patient satisfactory. It is done against a patient's will. It usually doesn't work. Communication therapy is so much better than electric shock therapy.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was first developed in 1938. It has a history of abuse, exploited as a means of punishing or controlling people in mental hospitals, consequently ECT had poor reputation with negative depictions, but since then it has drastically improved with confirmed effectiveness. Despite the improvement in techniques, the use of ECT continues to decline since the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE,2003) states that it should only be administered to severely depressed patients for whom psychotherapy and medication have proved ineffective or when the condition is considered potentially life threatening. For example, when there is a risk of suicide or risk to others because ECT has much quicker results than any other forms of treatment for depression. Overall, the aim of this PowerPoint is to provide information on how ECT is administered, how or why it works, benefits, side effects, appropriateness and effectiveness.
Epilepsy, also known as “seizure disorder,” or “seizure attack,” is the fourth most common neurological disorder known to mankind, affecting an estimated 2.3 million adults and 467,711 children in the United States. Unfortunately this disorder is becoming far more common and widespread worldwide. This staggering number of cases of people suffering from Epilepsy also involves an average growth rate of 150,000 new cases each year in the United States alone. Generally, many of the people who develop who are a part of the new are mainly either young children or older adults. Your brain communicates through chemical and electrical signals that are all specialized for specific tasks. However, through the process of communication, chemical messengers, also known as neurotransmitters can suddenly fail, resulting in what is known as a seizure attack. Epilepsy occurs when a few too many brain cells become excited, or activated simultaneously, so that the brain cannot function properly and to it’s highest potential. Epilepsy is characterized when there is an abnormal imbalance in the chemical activity of the brain, leading to a disruption in the electrical activity of the brain. This disruption specifically occurs in the central nervous system (CNS), which is the part of the nervous system that contains the brain and spinal cord. This causes an interruption in communication between presynaptic neurons and postsynaptic neurons; between the axon of one neuron, the message sender and the dendrite of another neuron, the message recipient. Consequently, the effects that epileptic seizures may induce may range anywhere from mild to severe, life-threatening ramifications and complications. There are many different types of seizures associa...
One percent of the population - two million people - in the United States has Epilepsy. Every year over 125,000 new cases are reported one third of which are children (Carson 7). U.S. doctors have found at least twenty different types of seizures to be in existence (Carson 11). Even though there are many ways to diagnose and treat Epilepsy, there is not a current cure.
There are over 3 million people who suffer from epilepsy in the United States alone, with most of them being diagnosed by the time they are twenty-five years old. e.g. (Epilepsy Foundation, 2014). More interesting than the seizures and epilepsy itself, are the effects that it has on the brain, the emotional side effects from continuous seizures, and the medication that is given to maintain stabilization in the brain.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Epilepsy has been around since the beginning. During the Greek period, many believed that seizures were actual visitations from the gods. The Greeks often called this disorder “The Sacred Disease” (Schachter). However, Hippocrates believed that Epilepsy was no more sacred than any other disease (Schachter). During the Renaissance period, people begin to believe that seizures were associated with evil demons and that the devil possessed the person. During this period, society would burn people at the stake who had seizures after accusing them of being sorcerers. Even as much as a century ago, it was difficult for a person who had Epilepsy. There was little known about Epilepsy, Society shunned people that had this disorder and epileptic patients often led a life of isolation. People thought that Epilepsy was contagious and were often isolated in hospitals into areas that were for “epileptic only” (Landau). It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that Physicians and Neurologist begin to study and re...
The worst treatment used is electro shock therapy, also known as ECT. This is when one is shocked by strong amounts of electricity, repeatedly, for however long the doctors decided to keep the patients there. There are a few incidences when ECT actually worked and completely cured a patient, but these were few and far between; the truth of the treatment is much worse.
The strengths of the EMDR therapy are that it uses elements of cognitive behavior and psychodynamic to treat clients. (1).EMDR therapy has eight phases of the treatment approach, they are; in phase one is the development of the treatment plan and getting the history from the client. In the second phase of the treatment is to teach the client coping skills needed to deal with stress in a positive manner. In phases three, four, and five the focus is on the therapist assisting the client into finding positive belief to replace negative ones. In the seventh phase the clients keeps a journal for the week. In that journal the client writes down anything that may trigger any negative ima...
For those who are receiving ECT, how exactly does it work? There are a few theories as to how ECT is effective for severe disorders such as depression. One theory would be the neurochemical theory of the mechanism of action of ECT. This theory is based on the observation of large amounts of hypothalamic and pituitary hormones released within minutes which is then measurable in cerebrospinal fluid and blood, however, there tends to be a certain criticism that is often cited against this theory (Gomez, 2004, p. 476). That criticism would be the lack of identification of specific behavior regulating substances, similar to insulin (Gomez, 2004, p. 476). As I said, though, there are a few theories so let’s take a look at another.
using electroconvulsive therapy. This type of therpy uses electric shock to the brain causing the
It is clear that psychotherapy is very effective. Meta-analysis studies have shown consistently that the positive effects of treatment exceed those of no treatment or placebo treatments for a wide range of disorders. Yet, there has been a recent noticeable interest in both the scientific community and in the media with psychological treatments that could potentially cause harm. Psychology lacks a medicinal equivalent to the Food and Drug Administration. This leaves the physiological profession vulnerable to detrimental effects to mental health consumers.
There are many myths about Epilepsy and it is important to know the difference between fact and fiction. A belief in any of these myths can cause harm to a person who has Epilepsy. Even the word, ‘Epilepsy’ has mythical origins and is derived from a Greek word that means to seize or ‘take possession of’. Ancient Greeks believed that people who had seizures were demon-possessed. However, Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. (Myth) Even today, people from many cultures believe epilepsy is a sign of demons possessing the person who has seizures. These cultures believe that the seizures are a curse and a form of spiritual possession. Epilepsy organizations around the world work to spread awareness that