Schizophrenia

             Before the 1950's, most people suffering from schizophrenia had to remain in mental hospitals. Since then, scientists have developed drugs that block the action of dopamine, a neurotransmitter, on certain nerve cells. In most cases, these drugs do not cure schizophrenia, but they usually reduce the symptoms so that most patients can leave the hospital. Scientists have developed other drugs that act on a different neurotransmitter called serotonin. These newer drugs control the symptoms of schizophrenia with fewer side effects.
             Psychotherapy and rehabilitation programs can help patients live outside the hospital. A small number of patients do not respond to treatment and must remain hospitalized.
             Shock treatment is a type of therapy for patients with serious mental illnesses. Shock treatment makes the patient temporarily unconscious. Physicians use it alone or along with psychotherapy (see Psychotherapy ). .
             The first widely used forms of shock treatment were insulin shock therapy and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Both forms were used for treating severe mental illnesses during the 1930's and 1940's. Since 1950, American doctors have used ECT almost exclusively.
             When physicians first used insulin to produce unconsciousness, they hoped it would cure schizophrenia. But the treatment helped only in some cases, and it often produced only temporary improvement. For these reasons, and because it is difficult to administer safely, the treatment is no longer used in the United States.
             Electroconvulsive therapy was introduced a few years after insulin treatment. ECT produces convulsions, or seizures, in a patient. The simplest and most common method of administering ECT consists of passing an electric current through the patient's brain for a fraction of a second. This form of treatment is also called electroshock.
             Although ECT is simple to administer, it must be adjusted to each individual case. The number of treatments varies, but most patients receive about three a week, with a total of 6 to 10 treatments over a two- to three-week period.