Common questions / 04/12/2019

Is electroconvulsive therapy unethical?

ECT research is ethically justified and should always continue to be conducted with the highest ethical standards. ECT research entails few ethical peculiarities such as involving multiple sessions were capacity to consent can change. It would be unethical not to conduct ECT research.

Why is ECT unethical?

ECT is not safe: it produces varying amounts of memory loss and other adverse effects on cognition in nearly everyone who receives it, typically lasting weeks or months after the last treatment (as well as many other adverse consequences, from ocular effects to postictal psychosis).

Can ECT make anxiety worse?

ECT may have a role in people who have comorbid depression and anxiety. The concern of some psychiatrists is that while ECT may help with depressive symptoms, it could worsen anxiety symptoms, including obsessional thoughts or panic attacks.

Is it safe to use electroconvulsive therapy?

The scientific and clinical evidence base for the efficacy and safety of ECT is large; more than 9000 citations are catalogued on PubMed. Modern ECT is a standard treatment option at many major medical centers worldwide.

Why was electroconvulsive therapy so controversial in the 1960s?

But it survived in the social memory of the therapy. By the 1960s, the evidence that ECT was very effective for treating depression was robust. But there were also good reasons for patients to fear ECT.

When does electroconvulsive therapy ( ECT ) work?

ECT seems to cause changes in brain chemistry that can quickly reverse symptoms of certain mental health conditions. ECT often works when other treatments are unsuccessful and when the full course of treatment is completed, but it may not work for everyone. Much of the stigma attached to ECT is based on early treatments in which high doses …

How does electroconvulsive therapy work for depression?

ECT treatment has been well studied in pregnant women and the elderly, and it is usually safer than medications in these groups. Electroconvulsive therapy works well and works quickly. Decades of research have shown that about 80% of patients with uncomplicated cases of depression improve after ECT treatment.