Electroshock: Applications Of Electroconvulsive Therapy
With the popularization of the use of electricity in the 19th century, a large number of applications of this phenomenon appeared. One of them was the treatment of physical and mental illnesses through electroshock; However, electroconvulsive therapy as such did not emerge until the first half of the last century.
Despite its bad reputation, Electroconvulsive therapy or electroshock has several applications that have been validated by scientific research. Although today it still carries some side effects and risks, these are much less serious than is often believed.
Electroshock therapy consists of apply low intensity electrical currents to the brain with the aim of causing a mild seizure. This in turn produces chemical changes in the central nervous system, which can relieve the symptoms of certain psychological disorders.
The exact mechanism of action of electroconvulsive therapy is not known, although it is believed that in the short term it has an anticonvulsant effect on the frontal lobes and in the long term promotes blood flow and metabolism in the temporal lobes. It also appears to increase the volume of the hippocampus.
This type of intervention is carried out under the effects of anesthesia and muscle sedatives; Mouthguards are also often used to prevent damage to the tongue and teeth. Small electrodes are placed on one or both sides of the head; downloads will be received through them.
Seizures induced by electroshock equipment typically last less than a minute. Although the person remains unconscious and physically relaxed, electroencephalographic activity is triggered during this time; Subsequently, the brain recovers its normal function.
Interventions using electroconvulsive therapy They consist of several sessions, generally between 6 and 12, which are spread over a period of 3 or 4 weeks, so that at least a couple of days are allowed to pass between each application of the electroshock. Treatment is adapted depending on the specific disorder and the severity of the symptoms.
Applications of this treatment
Electroconvulsive therapy is typically used in patients with severe symptoms that do not respond to other treatments, although it does not work in all cases. At the moment research has confirmed the effectiveness of electroshock in the following disorders.
1. Major depression
In the case of depression, electroshock is used primarily when there is psychotic symptoms or imminent suicide risk especially if other treatments have been applied and no results have been obtained.
This therapy is considered useful in the management of psychogenic depression, but also depression that appears as a consequence of biological alterations, such as Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s chorea or multiple sclerosis.
Electroconvulsive therapy has a 50% success rate in these types of cases. Depressive episodes in the context of bipolar disorder show a response similar to electroshock.
2. Bipolar disorder
Electroshock is a second-line treatment for bipolar disorder, both for depressive and manic episodes, which are characterized by a prolonged state of excessive euphoria and arousal. It is particularly applied in bipolar patients who present long-lasting manic episodes.
Catatonia is a state of immobility or motor disorganization that causes a decrease in reactivity to environmental stimuli. It usually occurs in the context of schizophrenia although it can also occur in depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or due to physical conditions, such as substance overdose.
When catatonia is severe and puts the person’s life at risk, mainly due to starvation, electroconvulsive therapy is considered the treatment of choice. However it seems that These effects are short-lived so it is necessary to combine electroshock with other long-term treatments.
4. Schizophrenia
Electroconvulsive therapy is sometimes applied in schizophrenic patients who do not respond to drug treatment antipsychotics. As we have seen, it is especially effective in cases of catatonic schizophrenia, one of the most common subtypes of this disorder.
Side effects and risks of electroshock
In the beginning, electroshock was applied without anesthesia and electric shocks used to be unnecessarily intense. This meant that primitive treatments caused very serious side effects, among which the most common and striking were memory loss and fractures of teeth and vertebrae.
Nowadays Electroshock is considered a safe treatment. It is true that confusion and retrograde amnesia sometimes occur just after the application of shocks, but orientation is recovered after a few days, at most, and memory loss is rarely maintained more than one or two months after the end of treatment. .
During the weeks of treatment headaches are common, muscles and jaws, as well as nausea. These symptoms subside with the use of ordinary medications. In general, the risks and side effects of electroshock are no greater than those of any other procedure that involves the use of anesthesia.
One of the most striking aspects of electroconvulsive therapy is that no contraindications have been described ; For example, it is the treatment of choice to treat severe depression that is resistant to psychotherapy in pregnant women, since it does not carry any risk for the fetus, unlike most medications.
