Does ECT use electrodes?
Likewise, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) proficiency includes experience with each of the modern electrode placements, of which there are four. Besides traditional bilateral and right unilateral placements, ECT electrode placement includes bifrontal and left anterior right temporal (LART) placements.
Is ECT delivered through electrodes attached to the head?
ECT is among the safest and most effective treatments available for depression. With ECT, electrodes are placed on the patient’s scalp and a finely controlled electric current is applied while the patient is under general anesthesia. The current causes a brief seizure in the brain.
How do they administer ECT?
When you’re asleep from the anesthetic and your muscles are relaxed, the doctor presses a button on the ECT machine. This causes a small amount of electric current to pass through the electrodes to your brain, producing a seizure that usually lasts less than 60 seconds.
What current is used in ECT?
Typically, 70 to 120 volts are applied externally to the patient’s head resulting in approximately 800 milliamperes of direct current passed through the brain, for 100 milliseconds to 6 seconds duration, either from temple to temple (bilateral ECT) or from front to back of one side of the head (unilateral ECT).
How many electrodes are used in ECT?
The electricity is passed between two electrodes that are placed on the patient’s scalp. Depending on the location of the electrodes, ECT is defined as bilateral or uni- lateral. In bilateral ECT, one electrode is placed on the left side of the head, the other on the right side.
What are some complications of ECT?
The most common side effects of ECT on the day of treatment include nausea, headache, fatigue, confusion, and slight memory loss, which may last minutes to hours. These risks must be balanced with the consequences of ineffectively treated severe psychiatric disorders.
Can ECT make you worse?
Some people have very bad experiences of ECT, for example because they feel worse after treatment or are given it without consent. You might not want to risk the possibility of getting side effects.
What are the negative side effects of ECT?
Can ECT damage your brain?
These conditions are not approached during ECT. Other findings indicate that the passage of electricity, thermal effects, and the transient disruption of the blood-brain barrier during ECS do not result in structural brain damage. Conclusions: There is no credible evidence that ECT causes structural brain damage.
Who is a good candidate for ECT?
People who have had ECT before and responded well are good candidates for ECT. Other first-line indications for the procedure include people who are catatonic or suffering from a form of depression known as psychotic depression (depression associated with delusions and hallucinations).
What can go wrong with ECT?
How does an electroshock treatment ( ECT ) work?
In ECT, a voltage is applied to two electrodes placed on the patient’s head. This voltage, as high as 460 volts, creates an electric field inside the patient’s skull. This electric field puts a force on the electrons inside the brain, causing them to move. This movement of electrons is a current flow of up to 900 milliamperes.
Where are the electrodes in electroconvulsive therapy?
The electricity is passed between two electrodes that are placed on the patient’s scalp. Depending on the location of the electrodes, ECT is defined as bilateral or uni- lateral. In bilateral ECT, one electrode is placed on the left side of the head, the other on the right side.
Where are the electrodes located in unilateral ECT?
In unilateral ECT, one electrode is placed at the top (vertex) of the head and the other typically on the right side. (The differences between bilateral and unilateral ECT are discussed further on page 29.) When the current is passed between the electrodes, a generalized seizure is produced in the brain.
Why is electroconvulsive therapy ( ECT ) so effective?
The current causes a brief seizure in the brain. ECT is one of the fastest ways to relieve symptoms in severely depressed or suicidal patients. It’s also very effective for patients who suffer from mania or a number of other mental illnesses.