Electric Shock Treatment for the Mentally Depressed

Due to its somewhat crude beginnings, electric shock therapy (EST) tends to have a negative connotation. In reality, however, EST helps many people overcome severe depression. During electric shock treatment, patients are put under anesthesia and given muscle relaxers to prevent convulsions. A seizure lasting 40 seconds is then induced using an electrical current. On average patients receive six EST sessions on an outpatient basis. Each session is scheduled from 2 to 5 days apart. Electric shock therapy is not recommended for everyone but may be a good choice for patients suffering from severe depression who have not responded to other forms of treatment.

How it Works

• One of the arguments against EST is the fact that doctors do not know how or why the procedure works.

Effectiveness

• Although doctors are not sure how electric shock treatment works, Britain's Royal College of Psychiatrists claim that the procedure does cure depression 80 percent of the time.

Training

• Very few doctors are trained on the proper administration of EST. If you are considering the procedure, make sure that you thoroughly check your doctor's qualifications.

Side Effects

• Electric shock therapy can cause headache, nausea, sore muscles, temporary confusion and memory loss. Memory loss is usually very short-lived, but there are some EST patients who claim their memory loss was permanent.

Potential

• One theory of EST claims the procedure works by stimulating the growth of brain cells in a part of the brain called the hippocampus that controls memory and emotions. If this theory is correct, it implies that electric shock therapy may one day be used to treat other disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.