The most common side effects of ECT on the day of treatment include nausea, headache, fatigue, confusion, and slight memory loss , which may last minutes to hours. These risks must be balanced with the consequences of ineffectively treated severe psychiatric disorders.
What are the long term side effects of ECT?
But some people experience more long-lasting or permanent memory loss , including losing personal memories or forgetting information they need to continue in their career or make sense of their personal relationships. Some people also find they have difficulty remembering new information from after they’ve had ECT.
What are the risk and benefits of ECT?
Pain relief and anti-nausea medication can help reduce these unwanted effects. Complications of ECT are rare, and unlikely to be life threatening. As with any procedure performed under anesthesia, there is a risk of serious heart problems or other reactions to anesthesia.
Can ECT damage your brain?
These conditions are not approached during ECT. Other findings indicate that the passage of electricity, thermal effects, and the transient disruption of the blood-brain barrier during ECS do not result in structural brain damage. Conclusions: There is no credible evidence that ECT causes structural brain damage .
What is the most common side effect of ECT?
On the days of an ECT treatment, some people experience nausea, headache, jaw pain or muscle ache . These generally can be treated with medications. Medical complications. As with any type of medical procedure, especially one that involves anesthesia, there are risks of medical complications.
Can ECT make you worse?
Some people have very bad experiences of ECT, for example because they feel worse after treatment or are given it without consent. You might not want to risk the possibility of getting side effects.
What is the success rate of ECT?
Typically, ECT (whether inpatient or outpatient) is given two to three times a week for a total of six to twelve sessions. Some patients may need more or fewer treatments. These sessions improve depression in 70 to 90 percent of patients , a response rate much higher than that of antidepressant drugs.
Can ECT lead to dementia?
The present study shows that notwithstanding other possible adverse long-term cognitive effects, ECT is not associated with an increased risk of dementia . This finding supports the continued use of ECT in patients with severe episodes of mood disorders, including those who are elderly.
How many ECT treatments can a person have?
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 .
When do you stop ECT treatment?
You won’t need to have any more ECT sessions if you have responded well to treatment. If you have any serious side effects doctors should stop the treatment.
Who is a good candidate for ECT?
People who have had ECT before and responded well are good candidates for ECT. Other first-line 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).
Is ECT still used in 2020?
Although electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is, along with antidepressants and psychotherapy, one of the three major treatments of depression, it is still considered as the last resort for depressed patients . This situation is partially due to limited studies and uncertainty regarding its mechanism.
Is ECT good or bad?
As a result, many laypeople regard ECT as a hazardous , even barbaric, procedure. Yet most data suggest that when properly administered, ECT is a relatively safe and often beneficial last-resort treatment for severe depression, among other forms of mental illness.
Can 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.
How many ECT treatments is too many?
It is important to realize that a ‘course ‘ of ECT entails a series of treatments given 2-3 times per week until maximal improvement has occurred. Most patients require 6 to 12 total treatments .
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).
