ECT costs are covered by most health insurance plans, Medicaid, and Medicare
.
Who qualifies for ECT?
Who can get ECT in California?
Any adult age 18 or older with an appropriate clinical diagnosis and who is capable of giving voluntary informed consent
can receive ECT.
How many ECT treatments do you need?
People undergoing ECT need multiple treatments. The number needed to successfully treat severe depression can range from 4 to 20, but most people need a total of
6 to 12 treatments
. The treatments are usually given three times a week — Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Do you have to be hospitalized for ECT?
ECT is commonly done on an outpatient basis, but
may be done as inpatient treatment when patients require hospitalization due to severe suicidality or inability to eat
.
What happens when ECT doesn’t work?
If nothing else has helped, including ECT, and you are still severely depressed, you may be offered
neurosurgery for mental disorder (NMD), deep brain stimulation (DBS) or vagus nerve stimulation (VNS)
.
Can ECT be given under Mental Capacity Act?
Can I be given ECT if I am detained under the Mental Health Act?
You can accept or refuse ECT if you have the mental capacity to make the decision about your treatment
. A medical professional will certify that you have agreed to the treatment and that you have the mental capacity to make this decision.
Who Cannot ECT?
Not everyone is a candidate for treatment even if they believe ECT could help them. For example,
children under age eleven
cannot undergo ECT for mental health disorders. People with heart conditions and people who cannot handle short-acting sedatives or muscle relaxers should not undergo ECT treatments.
Does ECT damage the brain?
Despite many scientific and governmental authorities having concluded that
ECT does not cause brain damage
, there is significant evidence that ECT has indeed caused brain damage in some patients, both historically and recently, and evidence that it always causes some form or degree of brain damage.
Does ECT worsen anxiety?
ECT may have a role in people who have comorbid depression and anxiety. The concern of some psychiatrists is that while ECT may help with depressive symptoms,
it could worsen anxiety symptoms
, including obsessional thoughts or panic attacks.
Does ECT cause weight gain?
During ECT, all patients increased their caloric intake (280 +/- 180 to 1,510 +/- 60 kcal/day, mean +/- SEM) to exceed their basal energy expenditure; major improvements in their depressive symptoms and
weight gain were seen in five of the six patients
.
Does ECT increase serotonin?
Conclusion. Altogether, our results showed that
serum serotonin levels significantly increase following ECT in MDD patients
.
Does ECT change your personality?
ECT does not change a person’s personality
, nor is it designed to treat those with just primary “personality disorders.” ECT can cause transient short-term memory — or new learning — impairment during a course of ECT, which fully reverses usually within one to four weeks after an acute course is stopped.
When should ECT not be used?
Do not use electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) routinely for
people with moderate depression
but consider it if their depression has not responded to multiple drug treatments and psychological treatment.
How soon after ECT Do you feel better?
We know that depressed patients often begin to respond after the first treatment and progress to wellness with 6 to 12 treatments. There is considerable variability in the trajectories, but most commonly there is progressive symptomatic improvement
within the first week and complete remission within 3 to 4 weeks
.
Does ECT help with anxiety?
Electroconvulsive therapy is effective in the acute treatment of major depressive disorder patients associated with anxiety symptoms
. Anxiety symptoms improved less than depression symptoms during acute electroconvulsive therapy.
Can ECT make you more depressed?
ECT may flood the brain with neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which are known to be involved in conditions like depression and schizophrenia
.
Does ECT cause memory loss?
Many people experience memory loss after having ECT
. Some people find this only lasts for a short time and their memories gradually return as they recover from ECT.
What mental illness does ECT treat?
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.
Can you force someone to get ECT?
Background: In principle, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
can only be administered to patients who consent to the treatment
. If the patient does not consent, the treatment can be given in exceptional cases, in situations where a plea of necessity can be made.
Can ECT cure schizophrenia?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a remarkably effective treatment for major depressive disorder, but is less commonly utilized for treatment of psychotic disorders. Recent literature indicates that
ECT can be a useful strategy for a wide range of psychotic disorders, including treatment-resistant schizophrenia
.
Is consent necessary for ECT?
Electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) is a safe and effective treatment for some mental illness, particularly severe depression and other mood disorders.
Adult patients can give informed consent for ECT
.
Is ECT worth the risk?
Risk Assessment of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Clinical Routine: A 3-Year Analysis of Life-Threatening Events in More Than 3,000 Treatment Sessions. Background: Extensive research has reported that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
can be highly effective in approximately 80% of patients suffering from depression
.
Does ECT reset the brain?
ECT has been referred to as a “reset button for the brain,”
which not only directly improves depressive symptoms, but also allows current medications to work more effectively.
Can ECT cure insomnia?
Electric shock therapy to treat depression may also beat insomnia in older adults
. High levels of insomnia include clinically significant problems with classic symptoms such as difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, all likely to impact quality of life.
Does ECT lower IQ?
However, former patients have publicly testified that
ECT can result in a very significant (>30 point) permanent decrement in IQ score
(Food and Drug Administration, 1982; Andre, 2001; Cott, 2005: p.
Can ECT cause dementia?
Although ECT can cause transient memory problems, the new findings show that the treatment “
does not cause dementia
,” author Martin Balslev Jørgensen, DMSc, professor of clinical psychiatry, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, told Medscape Medical News.
Can ECT cause anger issues?
Post-ECT agitation occurs in up to 12% of ECT treatments and is characterized by motor restlessness, irritability, disorientation, and panic-like behaviors
.
