Electroconvulsive therapy (colloquially known as electroshock); It has been seen in movies such as Cuckoo, Mind Games, in which the lives of patients with psychological problems are told. Although the treatment of the patient by giving electrical stimulation to the brain in the movies gives the impression that this treatment method is very old and not used anymore, the reality is not quite like that. Today, it is still used in its modernized form in the treatment of many diseases.
This method, which is more used in chronic diseases such as depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, is generally used as a last option in patients for whom drugs and therapies are not effective.
Who first thought of giving electrical stimulation to the brain, when and how?
Like many treatment methods in psychology, this method was discovered by chance. Portuguese psychiatrist Ladislas Meduna; In 1934, he noticed that psychiatric patients who had epileptic seizures improved after seizures. He also decided to trigger the seizures to see if the effect was due to the seizure. While trying different ways for this, he realized that a stimulant drug, Metrazol, triggered epileptic seizures when given in high doses. In his experiments, patients who had seizures on Metrazol did indeed have reduced symptoms. This is how the first step in stimulating and treating the brain was taken.
In 1937, Swiss psychiatrist Max Müller organized the first international conference on pharmacological convulsive therapy (triggering seizures by giving Metrazol). As the conference continued, the side effects of the drug began to be discussed. The drug used to trigger seizures caused patients to become anxious before the seizure, and the drug’s stimulation was so severe that it could cause vertebral fractures. These side effects have prompted psychiatrists to look for alternative ways to trigger seizures.
Italian neurologist Ugo Cerletti, on the other hand, started to try the same thing on dogs when he saw that the butcher in a butcher’s shop was giving electrical shocks to pigs and numbing them. In his experiments, he realized that electrical shock provided the effect of Metrazole. Thus, ECT was born.
It is the last resort treatment method for diseases such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Although ECT device (Electroconvulsator) was used in all psychiatric patients when it was started to be used, today it is mostly used in patients with depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It is the most effective method especially in major depression.
Studies have shown that in patients who recovered with ECT, 80% of the patients relapsed within 10 weeks after ECT was discontinued. It is seen that this treatment method is used on one million patients a year worldwide. The reason why it is used so much may be that it shortens the hospitalization period of the patients and gives results in a short time.
It is administered to patients with anesthesia.
In this procedure, which can be applied in 5 minutes in the company of mental health specialists in many mental health and diseases hospitals, the patient is placed on a stretcher and then anesthesia drugs that relax the muscles and put the patient to sleep are given. Two electrodes are then placed on the patient’s forehead for electrical stimulation of the brain. Then, electrical current is given from these two electrodes in rhythmic seconds. This whole process takes 5 minutes. In order to be able to intervene immediately in a possible mishap, mental health professionals wait for another 15-20 minutes with the patient after this procedure and wait for the patient to wake up.
Do not be afraid, ECT does not cause permanent memory loss.
Studies have found no scientific evidence that ECT causes brain damage. It has been observed that memory defects that occur, albeit rarely, disappear completely within a year.
Bonus: Can ECT be used to clear memory?
Although memory wiping sounds good, ECT is not a memory wiping technique and cannot be used for this procedure. However, the important thing is to face our memories and look at them as bad memories from the past. Only in this way can you achieve the healing you want.
Sources: 1, 2, 3,
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