The truth about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) - Helen M. Farrell
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In 1982, a young nurse was suffering from severe, unrelenting depression. She couldn’t work, socialize or concentrate. One controversial treatment changed everything: after two courses of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) her symptoms lifted. So what exactly is electroconvulsive therapy and why is it so stigmatized? Helen M. Farrell details the history and evolution of ECT.
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Additional Resources for you to Explore
For more information on ECT, check out these links:
https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Treatment/ECT,-TMS-and-Other-Brain-Stimulation-Therapies
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ect
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/electroconvulsive-therapy/about/pac-20393894
https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/electroconvulsive-therapy#1
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-truth-about-shock-therapy/
https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Treatment/ECT,-TMS-and-Other-Brain-Stimulation-Therapies
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ect
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/electroconvulsive-therapy/about/pac-20393894
https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/electroconvulsive-therapy#1
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-truth-about-shock-therapy/
I'm no neurologist, but if depression stems from parts of the brain not "firing" the way they should or secreting the right amount of serotonin, hormones or neurotransmitters then it's clearly out of balance. If the ECT truly resonates at a consistent frequency throughout the whole brain, then I could see a sort of harmonic balancing effect as the electricity evenly spreads to all corners and avenues to "unclog".
Either way, just what popped into my head when I heard how this worked. Thanks for taking the time to put this together. My Ex underwent this *********** involuntarily and now I feel much better about that. Her memory loss falls on the months to years side though, any chance of that being a deliberate goal to move past the trauma?
ECT was invented in Italy in the 1930s.
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