Does shock therapy really help people?

1. 60

   misscolesposted 14 years ago

   Does shock therapy really help people?
   
   Shock therapy is still available in many hospitals. They practice shock therapy in the basement of Sheppard Pratt in Baltimore. I think it should be illegal

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2. 97

   kimh039posted 14 years ago

   see http://hubpages.com/hub/Shocking-News-A … -Treatment - about halfway down is a section on ECT from NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health).  Or here is a direct link to NIMH about depression - scroll down to other therapies for ECT information:  http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publicat … -therapies . 
   
   I hope that helps.  ECT is being done more and more now, as it is much improved and highly effective, especially for people who are not responding to medications and/or are in serious suicidal danger.  It is done inpatient and outpatient now.  It is considered safe, but there are some side effects, as with any medical procedure.

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3. 0

   Butch Newsposted 14 years ago

   Apparently it helps some people and it isn't as horrific as in the past.  It may seem a severe form of treatment but you shouldn't assume it's something to be made illegal when you know little about it.

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   1. 78

      Laura Schneiderposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I know quite a bit about it, and I think that any drug or procedure that was grandfathered in as "safe" before the regulatory boards were put in place should be illegal until such time as the testing is done. Prove it works and 'does no harm' first.

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4. 57

   tyler_richmondposted 13 years ago

   Your brain and almost every part of your body communicates and functions on tiny electrical pulses, the idea of shock therapy is that the part of someones brain that isn't functioning correctly can be stimulated to a point where it is corrected. But other than the basis of what its about i don't know if it is proven.

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   1. 78

      Laura Schneiderposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      As far as I know, it hasn't (been proven to work). It was grandfathered in as "acceptable" because it was being done for years before regulatory boards existed, so it has never undergone rigorous testing.

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5. 78

   Laura Schneiderposted 13 years ago

   I've studied this extensively as a lay person (non-doctor), and I believe that if it works at all it works by causing brain damage and just being in the hospital every few weeks for a few days provides a change in the person's routine enough that the depression is not forefront on their minds. The proponents claim that it is the seizure caused by electroshock therapy that causes the depression to go away. If that's the case, then why is there a higher than normal incidence of depression in people with epilepsy? I think it should be illegal until it's medically proven with a rigorously designed study (beyond the typical 6-9 week study) to be a legitimate and long-term cure that is better than other cures currently available, not something that simply causes brain damage and memory loss--at which point do you stop being "you"?

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6. 61

   Amber Morrisposted 13 years ago

   It's an extreme form of treatment that I personally would not undergo, but it has really helped people. Then at the same time, I've seen it make people worse. They can't predict how it's going to work on your brain which is just frightening to me that they would go ahead and do it, even if the patients understands all the risks of the procedure. To me it's the equivalent of a surgeon being blindfolded while they're operating on someone. I've only seen it used as a last ditch efffort when medication and therapy just don't or stop working on people. I honestly don't care if a doctor spends most of his life researching and studying it, not even an expert can predict the outcome.

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   1. 78

      Laura Schneiderposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree completely--don't play dice with someone's brain. There are newer treatments that HAVE undergone testing and been proven, or are being proven, safe and effective: TMS and VNS therapies are what I'm referring to. Go with the proven-safe treatm

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