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Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT)

Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) is the most controversial treatment for Bipolar Disorder in modern psychiatry today. It is also the most misunderstood form of therapy for patients with the disorder, mostly due to lack of knowledge; in fact, many patients incorrectly believe that electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) is comparable to the electric chair—that the patient feels the electric shocks as they are passed through his/her body.

In electro-convulsive therapy (ECT), an electric current is passed through the patient’s brain to produce a seizure. The goal is to relieve the severe depression experienced by the patient with Bipolar Disorder. The patient, in reality, experiences absolutely no pain; in fact, they are under general anesthesia and feel nothing, as they are put to sleep before the treatment and do not wake up until they are in the recovery room.

Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) is believed in highly by many psychiatrists who are convinced that it is the last-line therapy for patients with Bipolar Disorder for whom all other therapies have failed. When seriously depressed bipolar patients, for whom no other treatment is effective or available, have consulted the psychiatrist, electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) is suggested as the "last hope" for these patients.

Critics of electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) have described it as a crude tool used by psychiatrists to "cure" patients with Bipolar Disorder; especially by those critics who still believe psychiatric medication, however high the dosage or whatever the side effects, to be the best line of defense against the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder.

Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) advocates defend it as an effective, even life-saving therapy, for patients of Bipolar Disorder who refuse high dosages of psychiatric medication, and those for whom electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) is a last resort. They would argue that it is a suitable treatment because of its immediate effects upon the major depressive episodes of Bipolar Disorder.

The purpose of electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) on a long-term basis is the prevention of relapse or recurrence of episodes of Bipolar Disorder. After the initial short-term (several week) course of treatment, the patient may be brought back to the hospital after several months (usually at least six months) for maintenance doses of electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) therapy sessions to continue to stabilize their Bipolar Disorder.

Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) treatments are done in a hospital setting, Same-Day Surgery, as an out-patient, performed by a psychotherapist or doctor. There are always nurses and an anesthesiologist in attendance as well. Treatments are given over a period of several weeks, every other day.

Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) side effects are few. The main side effect is memory loss; however, its main effect is short-term memory, and improvement is seen after a short period of time and is rarely permanent.

About the Author

Michele Soloway has dealt with bipolar disorder from a very young age. Her grandmother, mother, herself, and her teenage son all have the disorder. She also lost her sister to suicide because of bipolar disorder. Michele has a blog for bipolar survivors at http://bipolarsurvivor.blogspot.com, and is also a contributing writer to www.bipolarcentral.com.

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This Week's Bipolar News

Overeating and substance abuse are similar disorders
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People with bipolar disorder have higher-than-average rates of obesity and substance abuse. But McIntyre found that the obesity rate in bipolar patients was ...

Club stoush bowls out member
The Advertiser
A MAN suffering from bipolar disorder and depression has been barred from membership at a Sydney bowling club after a clash over club bylaws.

Mom abandons 18-year-old under Nebraska safe-haven law
Richmond Times-Dispatch
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Police say a woman has abandoned her 18-year-old daughter at a hospital, saying she can't control the girl, in what may be the latest use of Nebraska's unique safe-haven law. The woman told officials at BryanLGH Medical Center West that her daughter, who was adopted, is bipolar and has a learning disability, Assistant Police Chief Jim Peschong said today.

Click here for all Bipolar News.

Featured Article:

Romancing Your Spouse

"Romancing your spouse?" Ok, I can already hear you yelling at me! I know, it's a strange concept, but hear me out. Some of the longest-running marriages have lasted because of this very concept.

You may be thinking that this has nothing to do with Bipolar Disorder, but it does. Even the best of marriages has some strain on it - the pressures of day-to-day living, at the very least. However, Bipolar Disorder puts additional pressure on your marriage because of the issues you have to face in dealing with the disorder, whether you are the survivor or the supporter.

No matter how long you've been married, the suggestions in this article can put some "spark" into your marriage. And if you've only been married a short time, putting these suggestions into place now can help ensure a long, happy, healthy marriage (of course, you will still have to do some hard work yourself to make that happen as well!).

Click here to read the entire aritcle

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