Neuropsychiatric considerations in the use of electroconvulsive therapy (original) (raw)
Related papers
Safety and Efficacy of ECT in Mental Disorders Associated With Epilepsy: Report of Three Cases
Journal of Ect, 2003
The authors report on the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the treatment of three patients with mental disorders associated with epilepsy. They discuss several aspects related to safety, efficacy, and indications of ECT in these patients. The observed results, as well as published data, provide evidence that ECT is a safe and effective therapeutic option for some patients with mental disorders associated with epilepsy. The indications are the same as in patients without epilepsy. There might be another possible indication for patients with alternative mental disorders (forced normalization), although improvement after spontaneous seizures may not always predict response to ECT.
Some Reflections About Electroconvulsive Therapy ( Ect )
2020
Long-standing psychiatric practice confirms the pervasive use of pharmacological therapies for treating severe mental disorders. In many circumstances, drugs constitute the best allies of psychotherapeutic interventions. A robust scientific literature is oriented on finding the best strategies to improve therapeutic efficacy through different modes and timing of combined interventions. Nevertheless, we are far from triumphal therapeutic success. Despite the advances made by neuropsychiatry, this medical discipline remains lacking in terms of diagnostic and prognostic capabilities when compared to other branches of medicine. An ethical principle remains as the guidance of therapeutic interventions: improving the quality of life for patients. Unfortunately, psychotropic drugs and psychotherapies do not always result in an efficient remission of symptoms. In this paper I corroborate the idea that therapists should provide drugresistant patients with every effective and available treatm...
2006
To compare the efficacy of ECT with those of pharmacological treatment modalities, and to bring to light the continuing usefulness of ECT despite the availability of a number of newer and better medicines. Design: A prospective comparative study. Setting: Department of psychiatry, Combined Military Hospital Pano Aqil Cantt Period From Jan 2003 to March 2004. Subjects and Methods: Patients suffering from Major Depression, Mania, Puerperal Psychosis, and Schizophrenia, were included in the study. Two groups were made. I.e. patients treated with medicines only (group I), and patients treated with ECT alone as first line therapy(Group II). Each group comprised 50 patients. Patients belong to two groups were matched closely regarding their age, sex duration or illness, clinical picture and previous treatment etc. Response to treatment was judged with the help of HDRS in case of depressed patients and clinically only in rest of the patients. Results of the treatment were recorded and comparison made for two groups. SPSS was utilized to obtain statistical significance. Results: ECT proved to be a superior treatment in the achievement of quick remission, especially in those depressed patients with acute onset, psychomotor retardation, psychotic features, and severe disabling anxiety associated with primary illness. Very excited manic patients quickly responded to ECT and calmed down. Catatonic Schizophrenics showed dramatic response, and so did patients with puerperal Psychosis, in achieving early remission. Conclusion: In-spite of misinformation by media, and misconceptions in the minds of lay people, as well as, those related to medical profession, ECT remains a very effective and safe treatment even today. It should be used without hesitation wherever indicated. Limitations of present study need improvement in future studies, in order to achieve more scientifically oriented results.
Current Psychiatry Reports, 2008
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a safe and effective treatment for severe mood disorders. Rarely there can be serious complications, such as postictal agitation, cardiovascular compromise, prolonged seizures, and status epilepticus, all of which are important for the clinician to recognize and treat. Postictal agitation can be severe, requiring emergent intervention and subsequent prophylactic measures to avoid premature ECT discontinuation. Cardiovascular responses to ECT include significant hemodynamic changes that may result in complications, even in patients without preexisting cardiovascular conditions. However, preexisting cardiovascular conditions per se are not contraindications to ECT in patients with disabling psychiatric disease. Recognizing and treating prolonged seizures is essential to prevent progression to status epilepticus. Failure to recognize and treat any of these events may result in increased mortality and morbidity. Understanding such complications and their management strategies avoids unnecessary treatment discontinuation due to manageable ECT complications.
Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Critical Perspective.
Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry 19: 91-104, 2018
ECT is widely used in the Anglophone world but very much less in the rest of the world. In some places, it is so severely restricted as to be a rarity; in others, it is banned. Comparative data indicate there is no scientific justification for this discrepancy. Instead, there is a prima facie case to say that the major impetus behind ECT usage lies in the financial rewards it generates for psychiatrists.
Current Problems of Psychiatry
Introduction: Since implementation, electroconvulsive therapy has remained very effective treatment in psychiatry. The aim of this study is to present the differences in its use in medical practice around the world. The range of diseases in which ECT is most commonly used and the frequency of its use in different countries were compared with special attention to the differences between highly and poorly developed countries. Material and method: Review of literature by searching PubMed and Google Scholar databases using the keywords: indications of ECT, frequency of ECT use for papers published from 1991 to 2021. Results: Among the diseases for which electroconvulsive therapy is used worldwide, major depression dominates, while in Asia and Africa this therapy is used in schizophrenia. In Latin America it is used primarily for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. In Poland, it is used for depression, bipolar disorder, and fewer for schizophrenia. The highest rate of people treated with...
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): History, Applications, Mechanisms, and Future Perspectives
Strength from Scars: Medium.com, 2024
Introduction Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is one of the most controversial and misunderstood treatments in modern psychiatry. Despite its contentious history, ECT has evolved into a safe and effective treatment for a variety of psychiatric disorders, particularly those resistant to pharmacotherapy. The practice of ECT involves the induction of controlled seizures through electrical stimulation of the brain, and its application has expanded over the years to address a wide array of conditions, including bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, catatonia, and psychosis. This essay provides a comprehensive overview of ECT, tracing its historical development, examining its current clinical applications, exploring its physiological mechanisms, and evaluating its safety and future as a psychiatric treatment.
Electroconvulsive therapy in psychiatric practice: a selective review of the evidence
Neuro endocrinology letters, 2008
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is largely historical but is still in use. Modern psychiatry requires careful selection of patients in whom ECT will be performed. The indications for ECT treatment are limited, and the selection criteria should be strictly followed. The advantages and the disadvantages of the methods are discussed here. Despite the limitations, ECT seems to have real value in selected mental conditions in which it can even be considered a life-saving procedure.