Prior to the procedure:
may have.
Medication will be given
approximately 30 minutes
before treatment to dry your
mouth.
There will be medication
given before the therapy that
will help you feel more
relaxed and to make sure you
dont feel uncomfortable.
Anesthesia medication is
given to help you sleep so
that you are unaware during
the treatment.
Before the treatment, you
will be given a mouth guard
which will help protect your
teeth and tongue.
The procedure:
The procedure itself only takes
about 5 minutes.
Following the procedure:
A nurse will be checking your
blood pressure, heart rate,
temperature, and breathing
rate every 15 minutes
following the treatment.
Confusion or short-term
memory loss may occur. A
nurse will stay with you to
answer any questions you
other mental health disorders
The nurse will also check for
any side effects that may
occur.
This is a diagram of the ECT
procedure.
EEG- electroencephalogram (brain
activity)
ECG- electrocardiogram (heart activity)
EMG- electrocardiogram (muscle activity)
Key Points:
A small electric current through
the brain to readjust brain
chemistry
Used in severe depression and
resistant to other treatments
The procedure is done under
anesthesia and only takes about
5 minutes
Common side effects include
short term confusion and
memory loss
Many notice improvements after
about 6 treatments
Potential Side Effects:
Confusion may occur following the
procedure, this may last a few
minutes or hours. Confusion may
last several days or more but that
is very rare. Confusion is usually
more noticeable in older adults
Memory loss. Some people have
difficulty remembering things that
occurred right before and after
treatment, in the weeks and
months before treatment and
rarely events in the years prior to
treatment. This is known as
retrograde amnesia. Some also
have difficulty recalling things that
occurred during the weeks of their
treatment.
Physical side effects include
nausea, headache, jaw pain or
muscle soreness. These can usually
be treated with medications as
prescribed by a doctor.
Potential Complications:
There are risks of medical
complications with any type of
medical procedure, especially one
that involves anesthesia like ECT
does. During ECT, heart rate and
blood pressure increase, and can
rarely lead to serious heart
problems. If you have heart
problems, ECT can be riskier.
Evidence Based Practice
On average, ECT takes two to three
weeks to take effect. By contrast,
treatment with medication usually
take six to eight weeks for
improvements to become apparent
(Mayo Clinic, 2016).
What is
Electroconvulsive
Therapy (ECT)?
Electroconvulsive therapy is a
procedure that involves the use of
small electrical currents that are
passed through the brain to
purposely induce seizures for
psychiatric purposes. It causes
changes in the brains chemistry in
order to quickly reverse symptoms
seen with mental illness.
ECT can be used to treat:
Severe depression
Mania
Schizophrenia
Catatonia (an abnormality
of movement and behavior
arising from a disturbed
mental state)
Those who are extremely
suicidal
Electroconvulsive therapy is
typically not considered as an
option until multiple
medications and other
therapies have been tried and
were unsuccessful.
ECT treatments are generally given
two to three times a week for three
or four weeks (for a total of 6 to 12
treatments). Many people begin to
notice an improvement in their
symptoms after about 6 treatments
with ECT.
Some people may be advised not
to return to work or drive during
and for a short time after the series
of treatments.
Sources:
BrownUniversity.(2015).ECTeffectivecompared
withmedicationtreatmentinbipolardepression.
BrownUniversityPsychopharmacologyUpdate,
26(1),23.
HESI.(2014).Comprehensivereviewforthe
NCLEXRNexamination.(4thed.).St.Louis,MO:
Elsevier.
Kellner,C.,Greenberg,R.,Murrough,J.,Bryson,E.,
Briggs,M.,&Pasculli,R.(2012).ECTintreatment
resistantdepression.AmericanJournalofPsychiatry,
169(12),12381244.
Kellner,C.&Rasmussen,K.(2015).Contemporary
ECTfordepressionpart1:Practiceupdate.
PsychiatricTimes,32(7),5355.
MayoClinic.(2016).ElectroconvulsiveTherapy
(ECT).RetrievedNovember5,2016,from
http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests
procedures/electroconvulsive
therapy/basics/definition/prc20014161
NAMI (2016). ECT, TMS and Other Brain
Stimulation Therapies. Retrieved November 5, 2016,
from https://www.nami.org/Learn-
More/Treatment/ECT,-TMS-and-Other-Brain-
Stimulation-Therapies
Electroconvu
lsive Therapy