What does electroconvulsive therapy mean?
Definitions for electroconvulsive therapy
ɪˈlɛk troʊ kənˈvʌl sɪv, ɪˌlɛk-elec·tro·con·vul·sive ther·a·py
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word electroconvulsive therapy.
Princeton's WordNet
electroconvulsive therapy, electroshock, electroshock therapy, ECTnoun
the administration of a strong electric current that passes through the brain to induce convulsions and coma
Wiktionary
electroconvulsive therapynoun
A biomedical therapy for severely depressed patients in which a brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized patient, abbreviated ECT.
Wikipedia
Electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric treatment where a generalized seizure (without muscular convulsions) is electrically induced to manage refractory mental disorders. Typically, 70 to 120 volts are applied externally to the patient's head, resulting in approximately 800 milliamperes of direct current passing through the brain, for a duration of 100 milliseconds to 6 seconds, either from temple to temple (bilateral ECT) or from front to back of one side of the head (unilateral ECT). The ECT procedure was first conducted in 1938 by Italian psychiatrist Ugo Cerletti and rapidly replaced less safe and effective forms of biological treatments in use at the time. ECT is often used with informed consent as a safe and effective intervention for major depressive disorder, mania, and catatonia. ECT machines were originally placed in the Class III category by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1976. They were re-classified as Class II devices, for treatment of catatonia, major depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder, in 2018.Aside from effects on the brain, the general physical risks of ECT are similar to those of brief general anesthesia.: 259 Immediately following treatment, the most common adverse effects are confusion and transient memory loss. Among treatments for severely depressed pregnant women, ECT is one of the least harmful to the fetus.A usual course of ECT involves multiple administrations, typically given two or three times per week until the patient is no longer suffering symptoms. ECT is administered under anesthesia with a muscle relaxant. ECT can differ in its application in three ways: electrode placement, treatment frequency, and the electrical waveform of the stimulus. These treatment parameters can pose significant differences in both adverse side effects and symptom remission in the treated patient. Placement can be bilateral, where the electric current is passed from one side of the brain to the other, or unilateral, in which the current is solely passed across one hemisphere of the brain. High-dose unilateral ECT has some cognitive advantages compared to moderate-dose bilateral ECT while showing no difference in antidepressant efficacy.ECT appears to work in the short term via an anticonvulsant effect primarily in the frontal lobes and longer term via neurotrophic effects primarily in the medial temporal lobe.
ChatGPT
electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a medical treatment that is most commonly used as a last line of intervention for major depressive disorder, mania, and psychosis. In this therapy, seizures are electrically induced in patients to provide relief from mental illnesses. Originally known as "electric shock therapy", it is considered safe and effective when administered under medical supervision.
Wikidata
Electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy, formerly known as electroshock, is a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in anesthetized patients for therapeutic effect. Its mode of action is unknown. The use of electroconvulsive therapy evolved out of convulsive therapy. Long before electric shocks were being administered to induce seizures, doctors were using other drugs and methods to induce seizures as a means of treatment for severe depression and schizophrenia. Today, ECT is most often used as a treatment for clinical depression that has not responded to other treatment, and sometimes for mania and catatonia. It was first introduced in 1938 by Italian neuropsychiatrists Ugo Cerletti and Lucio Bini, and gained widespread use as a form of treatment in the 1940s and 1950s. Electroconvulsive therapy can differ in its application in three ways: electrode placement, frequency of treatments, and the electrical waveform of the stimulus. These three forms of application have significant differences in both adverse side effects and positive outcomes. After treatment, drug therapy is usually continued, and some patients receive continuation/maintenance ECT. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, drug therapy is continued during ECT.
U.S. National Library of Medicine
Electroconvulsive Therapy
Electrically induced CONVULSIONS primarily used in the treatment of severe AFFECTIVE DISORDERS and SCHIZOPHRENIA.
Matched Categories
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of electroconvulsive therapy in Chaldean Numerology is: 1
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of electroconvulsive therapy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7
Examples of electroconvulsive therapy in a Sentence
If you have what we refer to as a treatment-resistant depression, we may use things like TMS — transcranial magnetic stimulation — and we still use ECT, or electroconvulsive therapy. So there really is a large compendium of therapies available, the key is getting care. The vast majority of people will have their symptoms remit with proper treatment through psychotherapy and/or medication.
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"electroconvulsive therapy." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/electroconvulsive+therapy>.
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