In 1785, the therapeutic use of seizure induction was documented in the London Medical and Surgical Journal. World War I era.įurther information: History of electroconvulsive therapy in the United Kingdom and History of electroconvulsive therapy in the United StatesĪs early as the 16th century, agents to induce seizures were used to treat psychiatric conditions. History and neuroscientific basis A Bergonic chair, a device 'for giving general electric treatment for psychological effect, in psycho-neurotic cases', according to original photo description. High-dose unilateral ECT has some cognitive advantages compared to moderate-dose bilateral ECT while showing no difference in antidepressant efficacy. Placement can be bilateral, where the electric current is passed from one side of the brain to the other, or unilateral, in which the current is solely passed across one hemisphere of the brain. These treatment parameters can pose significant differences in both adverse side effects and symptom remission in the treated patient. ECT can differ in its application in three ways: electrode placement, treatment frequency, and the electrical waveform of the stimulus. ECT is administered under anesthesia with a muscle relaxant. The usual course of ECT involves multiple administrations, typically given two or three times per week until the patient no longer has symptoms. ĮCT is often used as an intervention for major depressive disorder, mania, and catatonia. Among treatments for severely depressed pregnant women, ECT is one of the least harmful to the fetus. : 259 Immediately following treatment, the most common adverse effects are confusion and transient memory loss.

Īside from effects on the brain, the general physical risks of ECT are similar to those of brief general anesthesia. However, only about 1% of the electrical current crosses the bony skull into the brain because skull impedance is about 100 times higher than skin impedance. Typically, 70 to 120 volts are applied externally to the patient's head, resulting in approximately 800 milliamperes of direct current passing between the electrodes, for a duration of 100 milliseconds to 6 seconds, either from temple to temple (bilateral ECT) or from front to back of one side of the head (unilateral ECT).

Electroconvulsive therapy ( ECT) is a psychiatric treatment where a generalized seizure (without muscular convulsions) is electrically induced to manage refractory mental disorders.

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