Consequences of shock therapy

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in a meeting with Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich (on the left, in the center) in 2010. Alexei Nikolsky/AP It's been a rough few weeks for Roman Abramovich. The British government blocked him from entering the country and froze his assets, depriving him of a glittering collection of sports cars, his The European Union is also messing with his finances and banning him from traveling into its 27 member states. No more summering in Saint-Tropez or wintering in Chamonix. In the United States, members of Congress are now calling on President Biden to sanction Abramovich, threatening his It's not just governments. Last week, a Pro-Ukraine activist in Spain chartered a boat and attempted to graffiti Abramovich's Solaris, which was docked in a Barcelona marina. Although the activist failed, Abramovich directed his Abramovich, himself, has All of this is a lot of unwanted publicity for a man with a reputation for shunning the spotlight. An orphan who grew up in the frozen tundra of Siberia, Abramovich rose from nothing to become a tycoon worth an estimated In the 1990s, Abramovich became the protégé of Boris Berezovsky, who was probably the least stealthy oligarch. Berezovsky had a big mouth. In 2000, he made the mistake of openly challenging a new president by the name of Vladimir Putin, someone Berezovsky had played a big role in helping to get elected president. When Putin threw down the hammer, Berezovsky was forced to flee Russia — and A...

The Washington Post Tom Graham 06-06-2000 The extensive memory loss described by Ann Lewis in the accompanying article reinforces some of the widespread negative impressions about electroconvulsive therapy. Even supporters of ECT acknowledge that memory loss is a common side effect, though they say it is typically far less severe than that reported by Lewis. Juan Saavedra, the Bethesda psychiatrist who treated Lewis before she underwent ECT, says he generally considers this therapy only for a very old person who would have trouble tolerating medication or for a person who is "in danger of suicide [where] you really cannot wait for the antidepressants to be effective." In discussing this as an option, he says, "my approach will be to say that the most important thing is preservation of life." "There is always a lot of fears, and it's understandable" in light of publicized cases of "people who have been mistreated," says Saavedra, who adds that in his experience the majority of patients who are urged to receive ECT agree to do so. "There is no way to predict" the degree of memory loss from ECT, Saavedra says. "Every treatment has its possibilities of something going wrong," but ECT is "a very safe procedure these days." Not nearly safe enough, in the view of those who believe ECT remains more dangerous than it's worth. "The shock induces an electrical storm that obliterates the normal electrical patterns in the brain, driving the recording needle on the EEG up and down in vi...

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure that uses a mild electrical current to cause a brief seizure. This treatment effectively treats severe mental health conditions, including depression, schizophrenia, and more. It's also safe, and modern methods use anesthesia to minimize any discomfort you might feel during the procedure. Overview What is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)? Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a medical procedure that involves passing a mild electric current through your brain, causing a short seizure. This procedure is proven to have strong positive effects on severe, treatment-resistant mental health conditions. ECT’s history stretches back more than 80 years, and extensive research shows it’s an effective, safe technique. This treatment involves ECT often has a negative connotation because of how it's been shown in movies, television shows and other media. These portrayals of ECT are usually inaccurate about how this procedure happens, whether or not it's painful or frightening and whether or not it's effective. These portrayals are not true-to-life, and they don’t show how healthcare providers do this procedure safely and humanely. Who needs to have this treatment? ECT can treat people with severe mental health conditions and is an option for a wide range of ages. This procedure can help children (some states have specific restrictions), teenagers, and adults of all ages. The strongest benefits from ECT tend to happen in people over 60. Why is ...

Key points • Electroconvulsive therapy reportedly works more quickly and efficiently than conventional antidepressants. • Doctors today administer shock therapy under anesthesia, making the procedure itself painless. • But shock therapy can cause cognitive deficits, such as memory loss, that sometimes persist. Source: Klaus Nielsen/Pexels Each year, more than Electroconvulsive therapy may seem like it's from medieval times, but the treatment wasn't invented In the late 1930s, Ugo Cerletti, an Italian neurologist, was successfully using metrazol-induced convulsions to treat individuals with schizophrenia and As a specialist in epilepsy, Carletti had studied electroshock-induced seizures in dogs, and it occurred to him that this method could be used to induce seizures in humans as well. Joined by two of his peers, he thus set out to develop a device that could deliver electric shocks to humans. Once perfected, electroshock treatment did indeed turn out to be more effective than the metrazol paradigm. However, it didn't take long before doctors worldwide started using the procedure systematically as a treatment protocol, not only for mental illness, but also for criminal behavior, Often, the procedure—which reportedly was extremely painful—had no effects aside from its harsh side effects, as iconically depicted in Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. But shock therapy can also cause temporary, or less frequently, How Does Electroconvulsive Therapy Work? In ...

Shock is a state of organ hypoperfusion with resultant cellular dysfunction and death. Mechanisms may involve decreased circulating volume, decreased cardiac output, and vasodilation, sometimes with shunting of blood to bypass capillary exchange beds. Symptoms include altered mental status, tachycardia, hypotension, and oliguria. Diagnosis is clinical, including blood pressure measurement and sometimes measurement of markers of tissue hypoperfusion (eg, blood lactate, base deficit). Treatment is with fluid resuscitation, including blood products if necessary, correction of the underlying disorder, and sometimes vasopressors. The fundamental defect in shock is reduced perfusion of vital tissues. Once perfusion declines and oxygen delivery to cells is inadequate for aerobic metabolism, cells shift to anaerobic metabolism with increased production of carbon dioxide and elevated blood lactate levels. Cellular function declines, and if shock persists, irreversible cell damage and death occur. During shock, both the inflammatory and clotting cascades may be triggered in areas of hypoperfusion. Hypoxic vascular endothelial cells activate white blood cells, which bind to the endothelium and release directly damaging substances (eg, reactive oxygen species, proteolytic enzymes) and inflammatory mediators (eg, cytokines, leukotrienes, tumor necrosis factor). Some of these mediators bind to cell surface receptors and activate nuclear factor kappa B (NF κB), which leads to production ...

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is arguably the most controversial psychiatric treatment. It involves applying an electrical current to a person’s scalp in order to induce a seizure (Shorter and Healy, 2007). The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends ECT only to those with serious mental health conditions or to people who have not responded to other therapies (NICE, 2003). Some people believe the therapy is barbaric and that the potential for long-term memory loss and muscle pain outweigh any benefits (Burstow, 2016). Supporters of ECT argue that it is fast-working and potentially life-saving (Kring and Bergholt et al, 2018). Evidence regarding the efficacy of ECT is inconclusive. A meta-analysis found that ECT can be more effective than drug therapies for people with depression (UK ECT Review Group, 2003). An alternative systematic review found no evidence that ECT was more effective than placebo (Read and Arnold, 2017). The majority of evidence on ECT involves quantitative data about the treatment itself, ignoring the patient experience. The few qualitative studies that exist usually focus on the short-term experiences of ECT (Kring and Bergholt et al, 2018). The purpose of this study is to aggregate qualitative studies exploring the long-term impacts of ECT (Wells et al, 2021). The authors aim to use this data to inform future research on ECT. ECT can reduce or reverse symptoms associated with serious mental health conditions. Some people find ...

Shock is a state of organ hypoperfusion with resultant cellular dysfunction and death. Mechanisms may involve decreased circulating volume, decreased cardiac output, and vasodilation, sometimes with shunting of blood to bypass capillary exchange beds. Symptoms include altered mental status, tachycardia, hypotension, and oliguria. Diagnosis is clinical, including blood pressure measurement and sometimes measurement of markers of tissue hypoperfusion (eg, blood lactate, base deficit). Treatment is with fluid resuscitation, including blood products if necessary, correction of the underlying disorder, and sometimes vasopressors. The fundamental defect in shock is reduced perfusion of vital tissues. Once perfusion declines and oxygen delivery to cells is inadequate for aerobic metabolism, cells shift to anaerobic metabolism with increased production of carbon dioxide and elevated blood lactate levels. Cellular function declines, and if shock persists, irreversible cell damage and death occur. During shock, both the inflammatory and clotting cascades may be triggered in areas of hypoperfusion. Hypoxic vascular endothelial cells activate white blood cells, which bind to the endothelium and release directly damaging substances (eg, reactive oxygen species, proteolytic enzymes) and inflammatory mediators (eg, cytokines, leukotrienes, tumor necrosis factor). Some of these mediators bind to cell surface receptors and activate nuclear factor kappa B (NF κB), which leads to production ...

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is arguably the most controversial psychiatric treatment. It involves applying an electrical current to a person’s scalp in order to induce a seizure (Shorter and Healy, 2007). The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends ECT only to those with serious mental health conditions or to people who have not responded to other therapies (NICE, 2003). Some people believe the therapy is barbaric and that the potential for long-term memory loss and muscle pain outweigh any benefits (Burstow, 2016). Supporters of ECT argue that it is fast-working and potentially life-saving (Kring and Bergholt et al, 2018). Evidence regarding the efficacy of ECT is inconclusive. A meta-analysis found that ECT can be more effective than drug therapies for people with depression (UK ECT Review Group, 2003). An alternative systematic review found no evidence that ECT was more effective than placebo (Read and Arnold, 2017). The majority of evidence on ECT involves quantitative data about the treatment itself, ignoring the patient experience. The few qualitative studies that exist usually focus on the short-term experiences of ECT (Kring and Bergholt et al, 2018). The purpose of this study is to aggregate qualitative studies exploring the long-term impacts of ECT (Wells et al, 2021). The authors aim to use this data to inform future research on ECT. ECT can reduce or reverse symptoms associated with serious mental health conditions. Some people find ...

Key points • Electroconvulsive therapy reportedly works more quickly and efficiently than conventional antidepressants. • Doctors today administer shock therapy under anesthesia, making the procedure itself painless. • But shock therapy can cause cognitive deficits, such as memory loss, that sometimes persist. Source: Klaus Nielsen/Pexels Each year, more than Electroconvulsive therapy may seem like it's from medieval times, but the treatment wasn't invented In the late 1930s, Ugo Cerletti, an Italian neurologist, was successfully using metrazol-induced convulsions to treat individuals with schizophrenia and As a specialist in epilepsy, Carletti had studied electroshock-induced seizures in dogs, and it occurred to him that this method could be used to induce seizures in humans as well. Joined by two of his peers, he thus set out to develop a device that could deliver electric shocks to humans. Once perfected, electroshock treatment did indeed turn out to be more effective than the metrazol paradigm. However, it didn't take long before doctors worldwide started using the procedure systematically as a treatment protocol, not only for mental illness, but also for criminal behavior, Often, the procedure—which reportedly was extremely painful—had no effects aside from its harsh side effects, as iconically depicted in Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. But shock therapy can also cause temporary, or less frequently, How Does Electroconvulsive Therapy Work? In ...

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure that uses a mild electrical current to cause a brief seizure. This treatment effectively treats severe mental health conditions, including depression, schizophrenia, and more. It's also safe, and modern methods use anesthesia to minimize any discomfort you might feel during the procedure. Overview What is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)? Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a medical procedure that involves passing a mild electric current through your brain, causing a short seizure. This procedure is proven to have strong positive effects on severe, treatment-resistant mental health conditions. ECT’s history stretches back more than 80 years, and extensive research shows it’s an effective, safe technique. This treatment involves ECT often has a negative connotation because of how it's been shown in movies, television shows and other media. These portrayals of ECT are usually inaccurate about how this procedure happens, whether or not it's painful or frightening and whether or not it's effective. These portrayals are not true-to-life, and they don’t show how healthcare providers do this procedure safely and humanely. Who needs to have this treatment? ECT can treat people with severe mental health conditions and is an option for a wide range of ages. This procedure can help children (some states have specific restrictions), teenagers, and adults of all ages. The strongest benefits from ECT tend to happen in people over 60. Why is ...