One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. A Clockwork Orange. Images of dilapidated hallways, cold medical personnel, trembling patients. The worn leather restraints are secured, wires and entangled qith the patient and then screaming and convulsions, bones breaking against the pressure exerted against the restraints. To some extent this was accurate, very high currents were passed through patients while they were awake, and yes sometimes bones were broken against the restraints. These images fitfully barrage peoples' minds at the mention of ECT. But those days are long gone, and let me update your knowledge on the topic.
First, these days the patient is not concious during the procedure, a shortlived general anesthesia is administered. The amount of electricity used has been reduced so that it is now only slightly above the individual's seizure threshold. The patient no longer has an active seizure during the procedures as muscle relaxants are administered. The muscle relaxants are cut off from accessing a single hand and the practitioner uses the seizure activity in that hand to moniter that there is successful seizure activity in the patient. Extra oxygen is supplied to help protect against brain cell death, and the patient is hooked up to an EKG heart moniter to ensure safety of the heart. I believe an EEG, which measures electrical activity in your brain, is used as well.
More to come later.
One woman's journey into the controversial world of Electroconvulsive Therapy
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