ElectroShock Therapy

Electroshock Therapy, or as it is properly known in the medical community ElectroConvulsive Therapy (ECT), seems very archaic, medieval even. It's a form of therapy that has been used in psychiatry for over 70 years to, well, basically knock the crazy out of people with a jolt of electricity. Most people probably think of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, with Jack Nicholson being forced down to have metal probes attached to his head while he's desperately fighting against restraints when they think of ECT. Or maybe they just imagine a mild form of an electric chair that leaves the patient a zombie instead of a corpse. I'm not going to lie. That's what I thought.

Until today.

ECT is still commonly used in psychiatry to treat patients when all medications have failed. So, I followed down two of our patients as they went for treatment. As it turns out, the patients are sedated and given muscle relaxers. Then metal electrodes are placed on their heads, only causing their face to tighten into a deep grimace as the electricity is administered. It's actually a very benign procedure. The only evidence of the seizure being induced is one foot, that has the muscle relaxers blocked by a blood pressure cuff, which goes into myoclonic seizures... Just flapping around until the seizure ends.

Here's the kicker though...

I administered my patients' ECT. I held the metal electrodes to their temples. I caused that electricity induced seizure.

I think I can safely say that my ignorance and misconceptions surrounding ECT is no longer...