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ECT treatment has to be one of the most dreaded procedures in the history of medicine. Mention ECT treatment- or as it’s popularly known, “electro-shock therapy”- to someone and it fills their mind with images of unwilling patients being strapped down and violent electric currents being run through their body. It’s an image created through pop culture like movies and television shows and, to be fair, some of the early history of the treatment.
But, ECT treatment has come a long way since those early days. And it may be time to take another look at a treatment that has shown very promising results for treating a lot of different conditions. So, what is ECT treatment really? Is it effective? And is it safe?
What Is ECT Treatment?
ECT stands for “electro-convulsive therapy.” And essentially it works by sending a small electric current through the brain, which induces a seizure. The idea behind the treatment actually has a long history, dating back to the 1930’s. Around that time, doctors who worked with patients suffering from epilepsy noticed that following a seizure, many patients felt much calmer and had a significant reduction in mental health symptoms.
As a result, doctors began wondering if artificially inducing a seizure might be beneficial for patients struggling with other conditions like depression or anxiety. Doctors discovered that by shocking the brains of patients with electricity, they could induce these seizures and ECT treatment was born.
Unfortunately, the field of psychiatric medicine was a bit cruder in those days and ECT treatment quickly took on a sinister role in the popular imagination due to the fact that undertrained staff began using it improperly as a means of controlling patients with severe symptoms. And that’s a shame because their misuse of ECT has maligned a treatment that actually shows a lot of promise for helping people.
Is ECT Treatment Effective?
It may surprise you to learn that, done properly, ECT treatment is actually a very effective method of relieving the symptoms of certain conditions. For instance, it’s frequently used to treat drug-resistant depression. And ECT treatment is one of the most effective ways to handle this condition. While anti-depressant drugs are effective for many people with depression, those who are a serious risk to themselves in the short-term or are resistant to medication do seem to benefit from ECT treatment and do so immediately.
A short course of ECT treatment can begin to relieve the symptoms of depression within hours and for people at risk of suicide, it can be a literal life-saver.
In addition, ECT has shown some promise for treating many chronic pain conditions, such as fibromyalgia. Studies have shown that ECT treatment can stimulate blood flow to the brain and reduce pain in people with fibromyalgia.
But in spite of its effectiveness, many people are reluctant to try ECT therapy due to its reputation. But that reputation may not be justified when you consider how the treatment is actually performed.
Is ECT Treatment Safe?
You may imagine ECT treatment as being strapped down and shocked with painful electric currents. But in reality, ECT treatment is largely painless.
First, patients are sedated under general anesthesia before undergoing treatment. That means that they aren’t conscious when the procedure is performed and so they don’t experience any pain during the procedure.
Secondly, the procedure is performed by trained healthcare professionals who carefully monitor the strength of the current to ensure that it’s safe. That’s the primary difference between modern ECT therapy and the dark period in its history that a lot of people think of when they hear the term. ECT therapy today is done as safely as possible.
There are a few side-effects to the treatment, however. The muscles clench involuntarily during the procedure, so you may feel some residual soreness in your jaw or limbs. And memory loss is a frequent side effect. Patients are often unable to remember events up to a few days or even months before the treatment. But generally, this is temporary and the memory returns within a few days. In rare cases, this memory loss may be permanent.
But in terms of permanent physical damage, the risk of ECT treatment is very low. And many patients feel that the potential improvement in their symptoms outweighs the risk. With that being said, you should consult with a doctor before considering ECT therapy.
So what do you think? Is ECT therapy safe? Would you consider it? Have you tried it before? How did it work for you? Let us know in the comments section.
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