Magnetic Seizure Electroconvulsive Therapy

1376 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on electroconvulsive therapy

The brain is the organ of the body that is located in the head, which controls functions, movements, sensations, and thoughts ( ). To stimulate an object is to make something more active, such as causing something to happen or develop ( ). This means that brain stimulators are actions that involve the activity or touching of the brain directly with various kinds of therapeutic techniques. These therapeutic techniques range from using electricity, magnets, or even implants to treat depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and other various illness such as Parkinson’s disease. The better known types of brain stimulation are electroconvulsive therapy, vagus nerve stimulation, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, magnetic seizure …show more content…

This therapy was first developed in 1938, which initially started out with a poor reputation but has improved since its earlier uses. ECT is only considered to be used when the patient’s illness has not improved after other treatments have been tested first. ECT is also only administered to a person who is under general anesthesia and has been given a muscle relaxant to prevent movement that could cause damage during the procedure. While that patient is under anesthesia and undergoes this type of therapy they do not feel any pain or discomfort during the procedure (NIMH, N/D). This typical procedure is administered about three times a week so it can to help relieve the depression that the patient is dealing with. Along with any medical treatment comes with side effects. Electroconvulsive therapies side effects range from a headache or muscle ache to the more extreme of possible memory …show more content…

This type of therapy uses a magnet to activate the brain instead of electrical stimulation. The repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment is targeted to a specific spot in the brain and only lasts 30 to 60 minutes without the use of anesthesia. The required tool for this treatment is an electromagnetic coil, through which short magnetic pulses are sent through. The magnetic field involved with this brain stimulation therapy is about the same strength as an MRI scan. Some side effects of this therapy treatments ranges from mild headaches to possible seizures. Unlike the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, the next brain stimulation therapy is magnetic seizure therapy, which is where a magnetic pulse is used but is placed at a higher frequency in order induce a seizure. Because of a seizure being induce a patient must be anesthetized and given muscle relaxant. The goal of MST is to retain the effectiveness of ECT but also reducing the side effects that come along with it (NIMH,

Show More
Related

  • Medical Use of Psilocybin

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ects, which in my opinion shows that its introduction into society (decriminalization) could benefit the community in many aspects (such as volunteering for a good cause) due to the increased sensibility that one may develop in regards to the society/others. I find that society has been misinformed about this chemical, seeing it solemnly as dangerous substance and classifying it along with physically harmful and potentially deadly substances such as heroin and cocaine. Not only is psilocybin non-lethal, but its potential for abuse is lower than that of caffeine. To summarize and conclude, I find that used responsibly, psilocybin along with other entheogens can be beneficial for one’s mental health and that more light needs to be shed on its benefits to allow society to see it in a different angle rather than what is propagated through the media about it today.

    Read More

  • Naomi's Schizophrenia Case Study

    952 Words  | 2 Pages

    Unlike Naomi, Eric does not respond to drug therapy. Therefore, instead of a drug therapy, Eric receives the electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or brain stimulation often an effective treatment for patients like Eric with severe depression who does not respond to a drug therapy. By shocking the brain, the ECT manipulates the brain’s chemical imbalance produced by the social-cultural stress experience. But after eleven ECTs in a month, Eric cannot function because of the temporary side effects of memory loss and confusion affecting his concentration to play the viola and his well-being. Then after four months of receiving ECT treatment, Eric returns to normal social functioning as a musician. Six months later, Eric is still playing the viola and has had no recurrence of his

    Read More

  • Categories of Bipolar Disorder

    2518 Words  | 6 Pages

    ... 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.

    Read More

  • Antidepressant Synthesis Essay

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    The magnetic pulses easily pass through the skull and causes small electrical currents that stimulate nerve cells in the targeted brain region. The magnetic field that is produced lasts 100 to 200 microseconds, and the procedure is less invasive than the ECT. rTMS may increase blood flow and the metabolism of glucose in the prefrontal cortex. It like ECT can additionally be a treatment option for mania but continues to be

    Read More

  • Neuropsychology & Spouse/Family Members

    1818 Words  | 4 Pages

    Other testing procedures that are commonly employed, in order to gain a better visual image of the excitatory activity in the brain are the PET scan and the MRI. According to Kalat (2004), these methods are non-invasive, meaning that they don’t require the insertion of objects into the brain, yet they yield results that allow researchers to record brain activity. The PET scan (positron emission tomography) involves the researcher injecting a radioactive chemical into the patient’s body, which is then absorbed mainly by the brain’s most active cells. With the use of radioactive detectors, placed around the patient’s head, a map is produced that shows which areas of the brain are most active.

    Read More

  • Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is a Safe Treatment for Mental Disorders

    2002 Words  | 5 Pages

    When ECT was first introduced, it was a terrifying and hazardous procedure: patients suffered serious side effects, even breaking a bone from convulsions (Nairne, Smith & Lindsay, 2001). It has been criticized since its beginnings, and only recently it has begun to be seen more positively. The major reason for this is the fact that the treatment went through significant changes over the years – it is now much safer than before. Nowadays, patients are given a general anaesthetic and medications that relax the muscles to prevent injuries from occur. However, most professionals still consider it to be a treatment of last resort. It is used when people have shown...

    Read More

  • Electroconvulsive Therapy Argumentative

    1309 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Lifesaver for Mental Illness

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    An individual who has a mental illness can be a danger to themselves and others. They don't live a normal life that is guaranteed to them, holding them back from being successful and having a bright future. If medications are not working for a mental illness, then the patient can consider electroconvulsive therapy. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a medical procedure that sends currents of electricity through your brain. ECT saves lives and is ethical to treat patients using “psychosurgical” procedure.

    Read More

  • Electroconvulsive Therapy: Why is it Effective?

    2107 Words  | 5 Pages

    The introduction of ECT to the United States created a burst of therapeutic optimism in psychiatry. Psychiatrists used ECT experimentally on patients with major mental disorders. This led to its current use for Major Depression. A negative stigma has remained since movies like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest stress the abuse of ECT: "The Shock Shop, Mr. McMurphy . . . might be said to do the work of the sleeping pill, the electric chair and the torture rack. It's a clever little procedure, simple, quick, nearly painless it happens so fast, but no one ever wants another one. Ever".

    Read More

  • Epilepsy Essay

    1670 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ives to treating Epilepsy and its effects. Typically most doctors will prefer to keep the medicinal treatment as natural as possible. Although not many people have seizure alert dogs, they are out there and available as an alternative. However, if one’s Epileptic seizures are interrupting one’s normal day to day life activities that one partakes in, antiepileptic drugs may be the next step towards Epilepsy management. I have found through research that a corpus colostomy surgical procedure is only performed in severe cases of Epileptic seizures, and is only done as a last step towards treatment. All in all, I have come to find that Epilepsy can be treated and or controlled through the use of these resources. Nonetheless, as with many treatments used to treat Epilepsy, there are positive outcomes as well as possible consequences affiliated with these treatments.

    Read More

  • Bipolar Disorder

    1909 Words  | 4 Pages

    ?What is the role of ECT in the treatment of mania?? Harvard Mental Health Letter. June 1997.

    Read More

  • Epilepsy

    4081 Words  | 9 Pages

    Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizures which are unprovoked by any immediately identifiable cause (Hopkins & Shorvon, 1995). It is also known as a seizure disorder. A wide range of links and risk factors are associated with the condition, but most of the time the cause is unknown. Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, affecting approximately two and half million people in the US and about 50 million worldwide. Though seizures can occur at any age, epilepsy is most commonly seen in children and the elderly. Most respond well to treatment and can control their seizures, but for some it is a chronic illness. A clinical diagnosis is the first step to finding a potential cure for the disorder.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: The Dangers Of Brain Surgery

    971 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although brain or memory enhancing drugs, also known as ‘smart drugs’, are said to improve memory, however, no pharmaceutical compounds have been verified to be very effective over the long-term as a permanent solution. One of the potential alternative solutions to this is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). TMS guides a magnetic field at a particular part outside the skull to create feeble electric currents in the brain which help with some learning tasks. However, TMS has a limited reach which makes the hippocampus too deeply placed into the brain to be affected by TMS, making it efficient enough for areas just near the surface of the

    Read More

  • Electroconvulsive Theory

    1111 Words  | 3 Pages

    Payne, N.A. and Prudic, J. (2009) Electroconvulsive Therapy Part I : A Perspective on the Evolution and Current Practice of ECT Journal of Psychiatric Practice 15(5) pp.346-368

    Read More

  • measuring brain activity

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    The brain is the control center of the human body. It sends and receives millions of signals every second, day and night, in the form of hormones, nerve impulses, and chemical messengers. This exchange of information makes us move, eat, sleep, and think.

    Read More

More about Magnetic Seizure Electroconvulsive Therapy

Open Document