Electricution Therapy

GibbosEmpire

GibbosEmpire

Well-known member
I met a lady yesterday who had mental health problems and last Christmas she had electrocution therapy, she had it done 7 times and it caused damage to her eyes and frontal lobe. How in 2024 is this still a recognised therapy for people with mental health issues?
 
Not trying to defend it, but this is the MIND information for Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), and its use.

MIND and ECT

In my early days as a clinical psychologist in 1983 (I moved careers in 1993), I once saw it administered. So, yes, it is incredible that it is still around. In fairness, now rarely used and much more controlled. I think it is effectively banned in a few countries.
 
Just to be picky electrocution is specifically an electric shock resulting in death.

My mother underwent electroconvulsive therapy in the mid 70s when she was suffering from a severe depressive illness. In the immediate it was effective but her memory of short/medium term events at that time was entirely wiped out although her longer term memory was untouched.
 
ECT ( electro convulsant therapy) is not used as much these days as anti depressants are much more therapeutic than they were before. As a former mental nurse I have seen this form of treatment often in the 1980’s and 1990’s. It is very safe and well administered under general anaesthetic.

I have seen patients who were catatonic, or extremely depressed, recover only after the use of ECT. It does work and if someone has recovered through its use and requests it again it is given. Maybe a course of 5 or 6 sessions depending on how the patient responds to each one.



Often people have used conventional medications to no avail. I can completely empathise and understand why they choose this therapy rather than live their lives feeling in despair and without hope due to their condition.
 
chickenrunner said:
Just to be picky electrocution is specifically an electric shock resulting in death.

My mother underwent electroconvulsive therapy in the mid 70s when she was suffering from a severe depressive illness. In the immediate it was effective but her memory of short/medium term events at that time was entirely wiped out although her longer term memory was untouched.
Click to expand...

.... you're not being picky. You had a more diplomatic way of explaining the distinction between 'electrocution' and 'electroconvulsive' than I could think of ...

Your mum's experience in terms of memory loss re: short/medium v long term was exactly what was found in 100s of studies. Which sort of made sense in terms of what came to be understood of how memories are laid down, and where ECT was impacting the brain.
 
I did see it performed when training in the late 90s: I'm not mental health trained, but you had to do a stint in each speciality.

I thought it was fairly barbaric at the time, but in it's defence, the patients undergoing it reported feeling better afterwards, and those undergoing it were there by choice.
 
Mountain Climber said:
ECT ( electro convulsant therapy) is not used as much these days as anti depressants are much more therapeutic than they were before. As a former mental nurse I have seen this form of treatment often in the 1980’s and 1990’s. It is very safe and well administered under general anaesthetic.

I have seen patients who were catatonic, or extremely depressed, recover only after the use of ECT. It does work and if someone has recovered through its use and requests it again it is given. Maybe a course of 5 or 6 sessions depending on how the patient responds to each one.



Often people have used conventional medications to no avail. I can completely empathise and understand why they choose this therapy rather than live their lives feeling in despair and without hope due to their condition.
Click to expand...
Spot on.

ECT is still performed regularly in the NHS because it can be effective in cases of intractable depression and mania, where all other treatment options have been unsuccessful.

It regularly provides a very significant improvement to individuals’ quality of life.
 
Mountain Climber said:
ECT ( electro convulsant therapy) is not used as much these days as anti depressants are much more therapeutic than they were before. As a former mental nurse I have seen this form of treatment often in the 1980’s and 1990’s. It is very safe and well administered under general anaesthetic.

I have seen patients who were catatonic, or extremely depressed, recover only after the use of ECT. It does work and if someone has recovered through its use and requests it again it is given. Maybe a course of 5 or 6 sessions depending on how the patient responds to each one.



Often people have used conventional medications to no avail. I can completely empathise and understand why they choose this therapy rather than live their lives feeling in despair and without hope due to their condition.
Click to expand...

yes, agree MC. From the outside, yes can look barbaric. It was really only a treatment of last resort 40 years ago.

Additionally psychotropic drugs and other therapies (dare I say) are more sophisticated than 40 to 50 years ago. Again pushing ECT further down the treatment options.
 
Mountain Climber said:
ECT ( electro convulsant therapy) is not used as much these days as anti depressants are much more therapeutic than they were before. As a former mental nurse I have seen this form of treatment often in the 1980’s and 1990’s. It is very safe and well administered under general anaesthetic.

I have seen patients who were catatonic, or extremely depressed, recover only after the use of ECT. It does work and if someone has recovered through its use and requests it again it is given. Maybe a course of 5 or 6 sessions depending on how the patient responds to each one.



Often people have used conventional medications to no avail. I can completely empathise and understand why they choose this therapy rather than live their lives feeling in despair and without hope due to their condition.
Click to expand...
My mother was admitted to St Luke's as an inpatient and the treatment took place over a 2 week period.
She was on a small ward with other women also suffering from depression and at least one woman who was an alcoholic. I remember visiting and my mother telling us that the woman had tried to convince her to escape one afternoon and go to the Highfield for a drink. 😊
As I recall this was in some more modern buildings situated north of the main hospital towards Belle Vue Grove. Later on I think they became the high security wing of the hospital much to my mum's amusement.
 
ECT induces epileptic seizures and the immediate after-effects are identicle [Temporary loss of memory / absence of spatial awareness / stressed muscles / headaches / nausea].
The longer term benefits [for some, not all] is reduced risk of depressive episodes and reduction in "mania"-related behaviours.
As a mental health nurse, I often accompanied patients to the ECT Suite and observed the "therapy" first hand, many times.
Professionally, I wasn't convinced of its overall benefits, despite the "science" supporting its prescription.
 
I worked in st lukes in 80/90s....often witnessed this treatment given to patients.Believe it or not it did work for a period of time and yes it was not nice to witness.
 
I used to take patients for ECT in the late 80s early 90s. It could be quite effective but I could understand why people find it uncomfortable to witness. Especially as the stronger the fit induced the more effective the treatment.
I can remember talking to some older patients who used to go to York Villa for ECT before muscle relaxants were available. They would be in bays in a long line and they could hear the staff moving down the line giving ECT. They also described people breaking bones in their arms and legs due to the severe reaction without muscle relaxants.
Must have been terrifying.
I never liked going to the ECT suite but you couldn't argue with results.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top