Electroshock Therapy

The patient is placed in a specially equipped room, where a clinical team first issues intravenous general anesthetic. After this a muscle relaxant is given to the patient. Oxygen is administered and an electric current is applied through electrodes. The patient undergoing the ECT does not feel the electric current, and the only reaction noticeable is the patients toes curling (Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment p.78). The placing of electrodes is still a matter of ongoing research. In unilateral treatment the electrodes are placed two or three inches apart on the same side of the head. The side that is chosen is the same side as the dominant hand. This method is said to reduce short term memory loss and confusion, another method of ECT is placing the electrodes over both temples. This method is proved to work better than unilateral treatment(Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment p.79). Electroshock therapy consists of a series of treatments, a patient is usually scheduled for two to three times a week for six to twelve treatments of depression. The treatment tine for schizophrenia is usually twenty-five to thirty treatment. The entire ECT process takes anywhere from twenty to forty minutes from start to finish (Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment p.79). Even though ECT predominantly effective, there are many risks involved including drowsiness and confusion for about an hour. Short-term memory loss will occur, but there memory will come back to them in tine. Another risk of ECT is the patients heat is affected by the seizures and the drugs, i.e. muscle relaxants, anesthesia, and barbiturates. Side effects such as headaches, speech loss, nausea, muscle soreness, and skin burns ( around the electrode sights). These sides effects go away within a few hours, with acceptation of speech loss coordination which might take up to six months to recover(Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment p.