Analysis Of The Movie ' Diamond Of The Rough '

Although more SZ patient improved with real ECT, which compared to placebo, when comparing to antipsychotics medication, the drugs are more beneficial. There was some limited evidence to suggest that ECT combined with medication resulted in greater improvement in mental state. The conclusion was that a combination of drugs and ECT could be useful if a rapid reduction of symptoms is required or when patients don’t respond well to drugs alone. (Tharyan and adams 2005)

ECT was done in operating rooms by the psychiatric staff. Before the ECT was even administered, the staff would make sure that the patient did not feel a thing during the procedure. “Anesthetic drugs used routinely are thiopental, or propofol and the typical muscle relaxant is succinylcholine” (Pitidhammabhorn, et al. 6). So, today’s patients that receive ECT are given muscle relaxants and anesthetic so they do not feel any pain. Also, patients are given electric shocks while they are unconscious. With all of this said, the “modified” version of electroconvulsive therapy is completely same and is not a brutal procedure because, the patients do not endure any pain throughout the whole thing.

(Nordenberg, 4-6). People with milder forms of depression may respond favorably to psychotherapy; however, it is common for people with moderate to sever depression to benefit from both the use of anti-depressants and psychotherapy. Lastly, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is used by people who suffer from severe depression or by people whose depression is life threatening or for those who cannot take anti-depressant medications. ECT is most effective where anti-depressants can't provide sufficient relief of symptoms. In order for ECT to be effective, several sessions are necessary, usually three sessions per week. (5). ("Depression: An Overview" 5-7).

I learned that often times, ECT is used along with a general anesthesia and a brief electrical current initiated to trigger a brief seizure. Likewise, I realized that ECT is the preferred treatment when other options are not as well tolerated. After becoming more familiar with the procedure, it seems as though ECT may be a more desirable option than pharmacological interventions as drug interventions may require more time to become effective. Sometimes when a patient's signs and symptoms are overwhelming, interfering with their daily life, time is of the essence and ECT provides a quicker relief for individuals with immediate risk. After several years and improvement technology, ECT has become much safer in the past, presenting minimal possible risks - memory loss, confusion, headache or muscle ache - to the

(Gabbard, 2001). Evidence also shows reduction in hospitalization stays within ECT patients (Endler, 1988). Moreover, as a result, less money needs to be spent on these patients.

Both these treatments included burdens to the mind. ECT included putting a current through the mind and prompt an epileptic fit. This was now and then known not damage to the patient through the extreme writhing’s. ECT ended up being extremely compelling for patients enduring with sadness and still utilized as a part of extraordinarily uncommon cases today. In a report on Tone Vale Hospital by the NHS Hospital Advisory Service in 1947 it discuss how many of the staff carrying out these procedures had little training . The lobotomy included cutting the cerebrum tissue inside the frontal flaps of the mind. This had blended results and was stopped in the 50 's .

In this article published in Journal of Mental Health, Lauren Rayner, with the help of her colleagues study the consent process of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and the side effects that come with the therapy. Electroconvulsive therapy is used to help people with certain mental illnesses such as severe depression, mania, catatonia, and schizophrenia. This therapy is the process of which electric currents pass through the brain intentionally causing a quick seizure. This seizure causes changes to happen within the brain that can quickly reverse symptoms of some mental disorders. Electroconvulsive therapy has a very bad connotation behind it. It is portrayed in the media as inhumane and leaves a negative impression. Patients post electroconvulsive therapy complain about cognitive impairment. According to the article a patient-centered approach will help inform others about the treatment and policy procedures of electroconvulsive therapy. Researchers conducted studies that helped understand the perspectives of patients that receive the therapy.

Although it has been routine practice for many years to attempt to attenuate or abolish the vagal effects of ECT by administering an anticholinergic agent such as atropine before treatment. A study of the effect of atropine premedication on the rate-pressure product recorded an unsurprisingly larger increase in this measure with atropine than with placebo, but the authors recommendation to avoid atropine for ECT premedication except prior to seizure threshold determination was not supported by evidence for any harmful effects of the increased rate-pressure product. The potentially fatal cardiac arrest that has been reported in patients receiving ECT without anticholinergic premedication would scarcely have been expected to occur. Atropine

Although ECT is shown to be effective, it does not always mean that is a safe form of treatment. If ECT causes patients to have severe brain damage and cognitive deficits, it would be considered unethical to use, regardless if it an effective form of treatment for certain mental illnesses (Reisner, 2003). There are limitations to ECT that doctors need to be aware of, such as patients having existing medical conditions that could counteract with ECT treatment and cause damage to the patient. Informed consent is an important process in undergoing ECT, it should let the patient know all of the risks and all of the benefits of ECT. Many have suggested that although the risk of brain damage is reported to be low, it is still an important deciding factor for a patient who is eligible for undergoing ECT. Informed consent should include risks, benefits, acknowledge post treatment risks and confusion, the possibility or uncertain effects of the treatment, as well as alternative options (Reisner, 2003). Because a risk of a treatment is not always certain, it should still be required to inform a patient of the possible effects of the treatment they are undergoing, due to the minimal possibility that brain damage or death could still

With cardiovascular complications, they represent one of the most common causes of the necessary amount of discontent associated with electroshock therapy . Potential mitigating factors include appropriate pre-electroshock therapy assessment of pulmonary function, pre- electroshock tests such as chest x-ray and pulmonary function test, and appropriate monitoring and clinical management before, during, and after the procedure.

On the other hand, majority of the side effects linked to ECT are usually minor and can be managed by careful screening of patients, close monitoring during ECT and regular administration of medications. ECT is beneficial as it quickly relieves symptoms of major depression such as depressed mood, lack of interest, appetite and weight, sleep disturbances, feelings of hopelessness, loss of self-esteem, and thoughts of suicide. Similarly, the remission of ECT is reported to range from 20-80 per cent. Extensive research has also suggested that ECT does not cause permanent brain damage as once thought and the risk of mortality is 1 in 10,000. Additionally, ECT is only administered after

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was introduced in the 1930’s at a time when no effective treatment for the severe mentally ill was known. Convulsive therapy, in the form of chemically induced seizures, was first tested in the 1930’s in patients with dementia praecox, a disorder that is now widely labeled as schizophrenia (Meduna 1935, 1937; Fink 1979).

seizure through controlled electric shock, under anesthesia. The process itself is under scrutiny because it is not entirely understood, which is main a reason why it is only considered in the direst of cases. ECT tends to have severe physical health risks and with the introduction of newer and less harmful antidepressant drugs, it is being used far less often (Comer, 2005). This new class of drugs includes three main types; monoamine oxidase (MAOI) inhibitors, tricyclics and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

“ECT is now generally performed under general anaesthesia, with myorelaxation, artificial ventilation, and using computerized devices to achieve an adequate seizure, safely and effectively, minimizing potential adverse events (Vallejo-Torres et al, 2014).” ECT has some side effects including: amnesia which can be temporary or permanent, headache, and nausea (Vallejo-Torres et al, 2014).

The ECT was being administered in theatre in the general hospital. In advance of the treatment the clients vital signs were checked and it was confirmed that consent was given. The client was then transferred to theatre. Present in the room was the anaesthesiology team, ECT nurse, surgical nurse, psychiatric consultant, registrar, psychiatric nurse and student nurse. Initially the client was hooked up to a machine to record her vital signs, anaesthetic and muscle relaxants were administered and the client was ventilated with 100% oxygen. Under anaesthetic the client has reduced capacity to breathe hence oxygen is administered, pure oxygen also reduces the deleterious effects on memory. Anaesthesia and muscle relaxants reduce the seizure threshold and the risk of injuries from motor activity during the seizure (Fink 2009). The client remained in the supine position, conductive jelly was applied bilaterally to the temples and the psychiatrist administered the electrical stimulus. The choice between unilateral and bilateral electrode placement remains