I have administered general anesthesia for 1,000’s of ECT’s. I am one of many healthcare professionals who’ve lost faith in the “System” after the pathetic and unethical mismanagement of the Covid farce. I can tell you though, that ECT is one of the most effective and humane therapies for numerous psychiatric conditions. Our patients were treated supportively and with utmost respect. All ECT’s in modern times are done under general anesthesia and at our facility with great consideration to minimizing post-op difficulties, such as headache, muscle aches, nausea, etc. Yes, I’ve heard all of the horror stories from past misuse of ECT, but I know of no facilities using the archaic and cruel methods of olden days. I can testify with absolute
sincerity that I’ve seen many, many miraculous recoveries due to ECT and have seen many, many patients maintained in a stable state with maintenance ECT’s as often as one every
1-6 months. We performed ECT’s on physicians, RN’s, physician assistants, CEO’s and many others from all walks of life. Many of our patients were able to return to work and normal lives. Often times, patients and their families stated clearly that they just wish they had known how effective ECT could be and how outmoded the horror stories were. Overcoming the terror and stigma related to these highly effective treatments was often the biggest impediment to early treatment. The miraculous recoveries gave many of us the most rewarding experiences in our careers. One time a previously vibrant, attractive young professional came into the hospital after a failed, attempted medical management of a severe, acute onset depression with psychosis, now catatonic. I anesthetized her for her 1st, 4th, and 9th ECT.
Typically, the regimen involved Monday, Wednesday, Friday treatments for 3-4 weeks and then 1 per week and then 1 per 2 wks. On the 1st ECT, she was very haggard, unkempt, and unresponsive. Her husband was despondent and at his wits end worrying about their 3 children. At the time of her 4th ECT, she was awake and responding. At the time of her 9th ECT, she was bright, beautiful, smiling and very grateful. Without witnessing the wonderful recovery, a person would not have believed she was the same person seen on day 1. This was just one of many similar recoveries I witnessed during 30 years of assisting with ECT. We almost always had nursing, medical, pharmacy, and other students observing and residents assisting. Our goal was to send these observers out into the world with the message that ECT is not at all performed in the primitive manner of early years and that it can be so much more useful if the dark stigma could be overcome and patients could present without the utter terror that is still too common.
Interesting. I will say that most of the patients in the psychiatric hospital where I worked did leave with positive results. Many of the women were suffering from post party’s depression and they seemed to do well.
My mother-in-law was an extreme case and her husband was content to have her drugged up.
Very interesting. Thank you.
Great background information.
ECT (a few sessions during three weeks of in-patient) permanently cured my mother’s Major Depressive Disorder (moderate to severe). This was during her 40s. Lived to 102 and never appeared seriously depressed again.