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How to Treat Depression With ECT Therapy

While electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may have a reputation for being an extreme treatment for most behavioral and mood disorders, it is actually the most successful form of treatment for severe cases of depression. By discussing all of your options with your doctor, you can determine whether or not ECT therapy will be an effective solution for treating your depression.

Things You'll Need

  • Sedatives
  • ECT equipment
  • Health care professional, such as a physician or psychiatrist
  • Antidepressants
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Instructions

  1. Treat Depression With ECT Therapy

    • 1

      Submit to a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether ECT therapy is the right course of treatment for your depression. Some patients may have medical conditions, such as epilepsy and heart conditions, that can be aggravated through the use of ECT therapy.

    • 2

      Determine an appropriate schedule for ECT therapy sessions. Generally, ECT therapy is scheduled for three times a week, with 12 to 15 total sessions prescribed for treatment. Occasionally, an additional one to two treatments may be scheduled a few months after the initial therapy in order to prevent relapses in depression.

    • 3

      Have your doctor sedate you before the ECT therapy is used to treat your depression. Generally, a barbiturate is chosen to put you to sleep before the treatment, and an additional drug is administered to help relax and partially paralyze the muscles for the purpose of avoiding injury.

    • 4

      Receive ECT therapy to treat your depression. Brain activity and heart rhythms will be monitored throughout the treatment through electrodes attached to the scalp and chest. The ECT treatment will usually induce a seizure that lasts for less than 30 seconds.

    • 5

      Wake up around 15 to 20 minutes after ECT therapy has been administered. Many patients report some side effects initially, including muscle stiffness and confusion caused by short-term memory loss. Most of these side effects completely disappear within 1 hour following treatment.

    • 6

      Follow your ECT therapy with mild doses of antidepressants or lithium, since 20 to 50 percent of all patients who treat depression with ECT therapy have relapses. An additional round of ECT therapy might be required in rare cases in which the patient does not respond to medication.

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