What to expect after ECT treatment?

After the Procedure When you awaken, you may experience a period of disorientation lasting from a few minutes to several hours. Headaches, jaw pain, and muscle soreness may occur. ECT requires a series of treatments, often initiated two to three times a week for a few weeks and then the frequency is tapered down.

How long does it take to recover from electroconvulsive therapy?

You can generally return to normal activities a few hours after the procedure. However, some people may be advised not to return to work, make important decisions, or drive until one to two weeks after the last ECT in a series, or for at least 24 hours after a single treatment during maintenance therapy.

Can you feel worse after ECT?

ECT can’t prevent future depression, or fix any ongoing stresses or problems that are contributing to how you’re feeling. Some people have very bad experiences of ECT, for example because they feel worse after treatment or are given it without consent. You might not want to risk the possibility of getting side effects.

What are the long term effects of electric shock treatment?

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been controversially associated with long-lasting memory problems. Verbal learning and memory deficits are commonly reported in studies of people with bipolar disorder (BD).

Can ECT cause nerve damage?

The review of literature and present evidence suggests that ECT has a demonstrable impact on the structure and function of the brain. However, there is a lack of evidence at present to suggest that ECT causes brain damage.

What are the negative side effects of ECT?

What are the risks and side-effects of ECT?

• loss of memory about the events immediately before and after ECT.
• heart rhythm disturbances.
• low blood pressure.
• headaches.
• nausea.
• sore muscles, aching jaw.
• confusion.

What are some side effects of ECT?

Which body system to assess first after a patient came back from electroconvulsive treatment?

Your patient requires monitoring for about 2 hours after ECT. Carry out these measures when he returns to the nursing unit after the procedure: Immediately check his airway, breathing, and circulation. Document his mental status and vital signs and repeat these assessments every 30 minutes.

Does ECT change personality?

ECT does not change a person’s personality, nor is it designed to treat those with just primary “personality disorders.” ECT can cause transient short-term memory — or new learning — impairment during a course of ECT, which fully reverses usually within one to four weeks after an acute course is stopped.

Can ECT cause permanent damage?

Some studies also suggest that ECT causes long lasting or permanent memory damage, they add, although ECT advocates claim this memory loss is caused by depression not ECT itself.

What are some of the negative side effects of ECT?

Can ECT cause peripheral neuropathy?

Neurological complications of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) include amnesia, delirium, peripheral neuropathy, headaches, and seizures (American Psychiatrie Association, 1978).

Can ECT cause long term damage?

But some people experience more long-lasting or permanent memory loss, including losing personal memories or forgetting information they need to continue in their career or make sense of their personal relationships. Some people also find they have difficulty remembering new information from after they’ve had ECT.

What are the positive side effects to a successful electroshock therapy treatment?

ECT works for many people when drugs or psychotherapy are ineffective. There are typically fewer side effects than with medications. ECT works quickly to relieve psychiatric symptoms. Depression or mania may resolve after only one or two treatments.

Does ECT affect intelligence?

However, former patients have publicly testified that ECT can result in a very significant (>30 point) permanent decrement in IQ score (Food and Drug Administration, 1982; Andre, 2001; Cott, 2005: p. 5) and have documented the claims by extensive neuropsychological evaluation.

Does ECT affect IQ?

What is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)?

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure, done under general anesthesia, in which small electric currents are passed through the brain, intentionally triggering a brief seizure. ECT seems to cause changes in brain chemistry that can quickly reverse symptoms of certain mental health conditions.

How does electroconvulsive therapy work in nursing?

Electroconvulsive Therapy. Electroconvulsive therapy seems to cause changes in brain chemistry that can immediately reverse symptoms of certain mental illnesses. It often works when other treatments are unsuccessful. Nurses have an important role to deliver when a client is to undergo Electroconvulsive Therapy.

What are the side effects of electroconvulsive therapy?

Memory loss and headaches: 1 ECT may cause memory loss and confusion. Your confusion may go away in a short time,… 2 You may also get a headache after an ECT treatment. These headaches usually only last a short time. 3 There is a greater chance that you will fall after ECT treatments.

What do you need to know about pre treatment for ECT?

Pre-treatment Protocol for ECT Ascertain if the client and the family have received a full explanation, including the option to withdraw the consent at any time. Withhold food and fluids for 6 to 8 hours before treatment. Remove dentures, glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, hair pins and etc.