Declining access to electroconvulsive therapy: A clinical choice or an economic one?
Horrific images from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest notwithstanding, modern electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains one of the safest and most effective antidepressant treatments, particularly for patients who do not tolerate antidepressant medications or depression symptoms that have failed to respond to antidepressant medications. Since its introduction in the 1930s, ECT has evolved into a [...]
Decline in availability and use of electroconvulsive therapy for depression
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered the most effective treatment option for patients with severe depression who cannot find symptom relief through antidepressant medications or psychotherapy. In a new study, researchers at Butler Hospital and Bradley Hospital in Rhode Island found a sharp decline in the availability and use of ECT in general hospitals across the [...]
How Electroconvulsive Therapy Works for Depression
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has always seemed like a barbaric treatment. Even though anesthesia now makes the procedure itself painless for patients, it still involves literally shocking the delicate electrical systems of the brain to produce seizures and may cause painful muscle spasms and memory problems afterwards. Still, after seven decades of use, ECT remains the [...]
