Continuous quality improvement to an electroconvulsive. Brief overview and ethical issues 2 the use of electroconvulsive therapy ect in the electroconvulsive therapy c. Electroconvulsive therapy ect is a safe and effective treatment for certain psychiatric disorders. Pdf electroconvulsive therapy in latelife depression. Importance electroconvulsive therapy ect is a highly effective treatment for depression but is infrequently used owing to stigma, uncertainty about indications, adverse effects, and perceived high cost. Ect is most commonly used to treat severe depression major depression. These groups inaccurately perceive ect as invasive and brain damaging and insist that no reasonable person can give an informed. The study population was patients diagnosed with depression who had received ect. Electroconvulsive therapy ect patient information booklet page 1 of 8 what is ect. Electroconvulsive therapy free download as powerpoint presentation. Genuine ect is substantially more effective in the acute treatment of depression than sham ect. Effects of electroconvulsive therapy on depression and its. In fact, it is safe and effective for treating severe depression. Severe depression, particularly when accompanied by detachment from reality psychosis, a desire to commit suicide or refusal to eat.
Ect involves a brief electrical stimulation of the brain while the patient is under anesthesia. Compared to pharmacologic treatments, ect is administered to an especially high proportion of elderly patients. She has had four episodes of major depression consisting of cr. Costeffectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy compared to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatmentresistant severe depression. Electroconvulsive therapy ect can provide rapid, significant improvements in severe symptoms of several mental health conditions. Ect is safe, painless and very effective in treating depression. Modified electroconvulsive therapy, coronary artery aneurysm, anesthetic management, clearsight system background modified electroconvulsive therapy mect is a biological treatment.
Ect involves a small electrical current being carefully passed through the brain. Ect, or electroconvulsive therapy, is an alternative therapy for certain psychiatric illnesses that are not responding to traditional treatments. Electroconvulsive therapy ect is one of the most studied and most effective treatments for selected severe mental illness such as major depression with psychotic. Feb 20, 2020 currently, there are two main treatments to fight depression, antidepressants and psychotherapy, while a third approach, electroconvulsive therapy ect, is regarded as a second or thirdline therapy that is usually resorted to in cases where medication and psychotherapy have failed kellner et al. Apr 18, 2018 is electroconvulsive therapy a miracle cure for depression. Ect was introduced in 1938 and has since undergone dramatic changes so that modern ect no longer resembles the early treatment.
Electroconvulsive therapy in children and adolescents. Previous position papers were published in 1980 1 and 1992. On electroconvulsive therapy in depression diva portal. It is often the fastest and best treatment available for this illness. Brief overview and ethical issues 2 the use of electroconvulsive therapy ect in the depression, including psychotic symptoms, is referred for consideration of electroconvulsive therapy. Background electroconvulsive therapy ect is the most effective acute treatment for severe depression, but widely held concerns about memory problems may limit its use. For any where from five to 45 minutes, patients may experience a period of acute post treatment delirium. Research studies have shown that ect is the most effective and rapid treatment available for elderly patients with depression, bipolar disorder and psychosis. Costeffectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy compared to. Electroconvulsive therapy ect is a very unique treatment for severe depression.
Electroconvulsive therapy ect for depression webmd. Ect electroconvulsive therapy is a treatment that helps many patients by easing severe depression, bipolar disorder, and some other mental illnesses. Electroconvulsive therapy ect is an effective treatment for clinical depression or major depression, as well as in some forms of recurrent or chronic clinical depression with one big caveat nearly everyone who receives this treatment. Although electroconvulsive therapy ect is, along with antidepressants and psychotherapy, one of the three major treatments of depression.
Brain stimulation techniques such as electroconvulsive therapy ect, for example, can be used to. Electroconvulsive therapy ect for depression dynamed. Electroconvulsive therapy ect is a procedure where electrodes are positioned on the patients scalp, and a measured electrical current is passed through to the brain, inducing generalized seizure activity. Pdf pelectroconvulsive therapy ect has been regarded as a some what controversial treatment modality. Sackeim electroconvulsive therapy ect plays a significant role in the treatment of latelife depression and other psychiatric conditions in the elderly. How electroconvulsive therapy works understanding the. The literature to date primarily addresses the effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy ect in relieving depression.
Electroconvulsive therapy ect for depression in elderly people antidepressant drugs often cause side effects in elderly people, which may limit the effectiveness of treatment for depression. Mental health and substance use part 1 echo session 3. Electroconvulsive therapy in latelife depression harold a. Anesthetic management of modified electroconvulsive. Ect is generally used when severe depression is unresponsive to other forms of therapy. The use of electroconvulsive therapy for depression in the elderly until the 1930s, little could be done to help those suffering from major mental disorders mmds apart from custodial care and sedation. During electroconvulsive therapy ect, a specialized doctor uses a controlled electrical current. Electroconvulsive therapy, or ect for short, is a treatment that involves sending an electric current through your brain, causing a brief surge of electrical activity within your brain also known as a seizure. This effect could not be explained by other contributing factors and is especially remarkable because patients aged 70 years or older were. For some people with severe or hardtotreat depression, electroconvulsive therapy ect is the best treatment. Apr 04, 2020 electroconvulsive therapy ect is an effective treatment for clinical depression or major depression, as well as in some forms of recurrent or chronic clinical depression with one big caveat. Before commencing a course of ect, patients will undergo a thorough psychiatric.
Ect was introduced in 1938 and has since undergone dramatic changes so that modern ect no longer resembles the early treatment often portrayed in the media. Analysis of variance was used to compare change in eq5d. Electroconvulsive therapy ect is available for people suffering from particular behavioral and emotional disturbances, including some forms of depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Ect is also sometimes used to treat other psychiatric disorders, such as. Electroconvulsive therapy ect electroconvulsive therapy ect is one of the most controversial and misunderstood treatments for mental illness. Electroconvulsive therapy electroconvulsive therapy. Learn more about this therapy, including potential side effects, and what its like to experience ect. Kaiser foundation health plan of washington and kaiser foundation health plan of washington options, inc. I f major depression were not a serious public health problem in the elderly population, there would be no need to discuss electroconvulsive therapy ect in this book. Electroconvulsive therapy ect is a physical treatment used for a range of mental illnesses. Current electroconvulsive therapy practice and research in the. Electroconvulsive therapy program ucsf department of. Provincial clinical knowledge topic electroconvulsive therapy.
Electroconvulsive therapy ect is a safe and effective treatment for a variety of psychiatric and some medical conditions. The use of electroconvulsive therapy for depression in the. Ect, tms and other brain stimulation therapies nami. Yet, major depression is one of the most common and serious illnesses in the elderly see chapter. It has proven superiority in prospective studies comparing ect with sham.
Methods this registerbased study used data from the swedish national quality register for ect. Major depressive disorder mdd is the most common mental illness and the leading cause of disability worldwide. Electroconvulsive therapy canadian psychiatric association. Electroconvulsive therapy ect is one of the most controversial and misunderstood treatments for mental illness. Electroconvulsive therapy ect electroconvulsive therapy ect is a more invasive type of brain stimulation thats sometimes recommended for severe depression if all other treatment options have failed, or when the situation is thought to be life threatening. This treatment, sometimes referred to as electroshock therapy, is often. She has had four episodes of major depression consisting. Ect has received much attention in the mainstream media. Efficacy and safety of electroconvulsive therapy in depressive. When medication fails to ease the symptoms of clinical depression, there are other options to try. According to fitzsimmons 1995, we know that ect works. Medications and psychotherapy are considered the first line of treatment for major depression.
Depression is one of the most common disorders causing mortality around the world. The study population was patients diagnosed with depression who had. In fact, it is safe and effective for treating severe depression when patients have symptoms that havent responded to medication, counselling or other psychosocial treatments. Electroconvulsive therapy ect is one of the most studied and most effective treatments for selected severe mental illness such as major depression with psychotic feature. Electroconvulsive therapy ect for depression in elderly. It is an effective and well established treatment method for depression and other mental disorders. Psychological treatments there are a wide range of psychological treatments for depression. The importance of depression as a cause of suicide and the effect of electroconvulsive therapy upon the suicide rate are discussed. Jun 21, 2003 electroconvulsive therapy is one of the most controversial treatments in medicine. While there are some shortterm sideeffects, ect is a relatively safe procedure. Electroconvulsive therapy ect johns hopkins medicine. When treatments such as medication and therapy arent able to relieve the symptoms of depression or another mental health condition, there are other options available. Electroconvulsive therapy today indepth report people who have had ect before and responded well are good candidates for ect. Electroconvulsive therapy is not a required subject in us medical schools and not a required skill in psychiatric residency training.
Electroconvulsive therapy for depression orebro university. Sackeim electroconvulsive therapy ect plays a significant role in the treatment of latelife depression and other psychiatric conditions in the. Ect can be an important alternative to drug treatment. Electroconvulsive therapy ect is an extremely safe and effective medical treatment for certain psychiatric disorders.
In more than 70% of treatment series the indication was a depressive episode. Ect is a procedure in which a small amount of electricity is applied to the scalp to produce a brief seizure in the brain. It has proven superiority in prospective studies comparing ect with sham ect1,2, and with standard antidepressant. Pdf depression, memory and electroconvulsive therapy. Healthrelated quality of life was quantified using the 3level version the euroqol 5dimensional questionnaire eq5d 3 l. Electroconvulsive therapy ect is a medical treatment for severe depression, mania and schizophrenia. Sackeim and others published electroconvulsive therapy in latelife depression find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. A psychiatrist might suggest electroconvulsive therapy.
It is most often used in the treatment of severe depression. Electroconvulsive therapy ect is a medical treatment most commonly used in patients with severe major depression or bipolar disorder that has not responded to other treatments. Electroconvulsive therapy ect is the most effective treatment for mdd and the goldstandard therapy for treatmentresistant depression trd, yet it remains underutilized due to factors such as limited availability, stigma, and concerns about cognitive side effects. Mercy care affiliated rbha considers electroconvulsive therapy ect medically necessary for the management of the following conditions. Other firstline indications for the procedure include people who are catatonic or suffering from a form of depression known as psychotic depression depression associated with delusions and hallucinations. Patients awaken three to five minutes after the treatment is over. Electroconvulsive therapy ect electroconvulsive therapy. The shortterm response rate to ect is relatively high in all. The selection of patients for ect and treatment technique in.
Pdf electroconvulsive therapy for depression michael. The overarching aims of the thesis were to identify clinical characteristics that predict the outcomes of depressed patients treated in. In their article1 published in the lancet psychiatry, roxanne schaakxs and colleagues describe an agedependent, linearly worse outcome of major depressive disorder mdd in terms of both symptom persistence and longer time to remission in elderly people. It is typically administered by a team of trained medical professionals. Privileging for ect practice at institutions is a local option. Ect is given under a general anaesthetic, so you arent awake during the treatment. Pdf electroconvulsive therapy and its use in modernday psychiatry. Or it might be used when patients pose a severe threat to themselves or others and it is too dangerous to wait until medications take effect. How electroconvulsive therapy works risks and side effects of ect for some people with severe or hardtotreat depression, electroconvulsive therapy ect is the best treatment. The first section is on depression and starts with a reiteration of the recommendations of the most recent nice guideline on the use of ect in depression. Electroconvulsive therapy is one of the most controversial treatments in medicine. Mar 22, 2020 ect, or electroconvulsive therapy, is an alternative therapy for certain psychiatric illnesses that are not responding to traditional treatments. Beneficial effects of electroconvulsive therapy in elderly.
Electroconvulsive therapy, adult inpatient, ambulatory v 1. Written by stephanie booth on april 18, 2018 the controversial treatment is often considered a last resort when antidepressants fail. The aim of the treatment is to relieve the symptoms of some mental health problems. An 82yearold woman with severe depression, including psychotic symptoms, is referred for consideration of electroconvulsive therapy.