What is Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)?
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is a process in which a moderate electrical current is passed through the brain to cause a seizure. ECT is recommended for severe depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorders and goes on with anesthesia to ensure that you cannot feel the pain during the process. Its use may be warranted when all other conventional medications and treatment methods have not yielded the desired outcome.
The History and Evolution of ECT
ECT was administered without anesthetics in its early years when it was realized that the administration of a seizure could be therapeutic to patients suffering from various mental illnesses. The respective treatments were advanced over the years, making them more tolerable and safer for use.
ECT is today regarded highly and has been recommended as an effective therapy procedure in treating severe depression, schizophrenia and other chronic mental disorders. Although it has been a safe and effective treatment modality in medicine for the last 80 years, ECT continues to be portrayed negatively in movies and other forms of entertainment and therefore the public remains misinformed.
How ECT is Performed
ECT is administered with a minimal electrical current to induce cerebral seizures and to affect neurotransmitter concentrations in the brain, such as serotonin and norepinephrine, which are involved with mood regulation. But the modulation of these levels could be useful in mitigating negative emotions as used in ECT. In undertaking ECT, mental health professionals administer it to patients under anesthesia to reduce the physical discomfort that the patient has.
Get Depression Diagnosed in Bangalore
Depression is a long-term condition that needs to be approached cautiously because it is not a condition that can be easily managed. Hence, one needs to be properly diagnosed. You can choose Cadabam’s Hospital as the place where you can obtain a diagnosis of depression in Bangalore. These are initial examination, clinical and imaging examination, psychometric examination, and laboratory examination to confirm whether a person has depression and whether there are other related medical conditions. What sets us apart is the inclusiveness that makes you at ease to embrace and share your experiences.
Role of ECT in Depression Management
While ECT is not the first line of treatment for depression, it has an essential role to offer in its management. Depression symptoms such as despair, lack of interest and suicidal feelings can be managed through restructuring brain chemicals and improving signals between cells. These processes are believed to enhance the efficiency of emotional regulation and general mental health in the given person.
The Mechanism of ECT in Treating Depression
ECT is an electric current shock that stimulates the brain to produce a seizure in a controlled environment. This seizure changes the chemical balance in the brain and aids in balancing the mood and enhancing cognitive abilities. In depression, this process assists in regulating erratic neurological signals that characterize the illness, thereby mitigating the disorder.
Is ECT Effective for Depression Management?
ECT is deemed effective in treating long-term enduring mental disorders such as depressive disorders. When the symptom is not well managed by other treatments, the ECT is very useful and reduces such symptoms as persistent sadness, lack of interest in life, and suicidal thoughts. All depression patients have different levels of severity; hence, this may work in different ways depending on the individual.
Combining ECT with Other Treatments for Depression
In most cases, ECT is administered in combination with other modes of treatment including psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy for depressive disorders and enhanced functioning. It is accomplished by stating that when ECT is added to these therapies, their effectiveness tends to be enhanced, and a more comprehensive course of therapy can be provided. This method covers several aspects of the condition that includes symptoms, function, and the risk of relapse.
Engaging Family and Support Systems in the ECT Treatment Process
Depression affects the mental, physical, and general well-being of the patient and his or her family members in several ways. As a result, family and support systems should be engaged in the ECT treatment process to benefit everyone. When other family members understand about ECT and its qualities, they can do much to lessen the symptoms and ensure they do not worsen. This helps families to engage in active participation in the care of their members, thus, improving communication and decreasing stress levels. When families understand depression, they will be able to support their beloved one with the same disease in the recovery process.
Tailoring ECT to Individual Needs
This is an essential stage in ECT as patients with depression require different alterations due to the uniqueness that each of them shows regarding the condition. Individualized care means the person receives the right care that is most effective for their personal situation and makes it a comfortable process to get the best outcomes.
What to Expect in an ECT Session for Depression
First, before diagnosing a person with depression, they will be required to undergo several tests to eliminate other possible diseases. They might request blood and urine tests, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the skull and brain, and spine, ECG test. This is followed by psychiatric management, anesthesia by an anesthesiology specialist, and other specialists performing ECT. The patients will be given anesthetics to make it possible for them to experience mild electric shock during the seizure in an area that has been arranged.
Why Choose ECT for Depression Treatment?
The only option when other treatments cease to work and with no illnesses prevalent is ECT, which can effectively treat depression.
Benefits of ECT for Depression Patients
ECT for depression is one of the most effective treatment regimens for chronic diseases of the mental health system. It can help manage symptoms when other forms of medication have not proved effective. Thus, utilising the methods of modern science and technology, ECT procedures are very fast and, at the same time, harmless for women, who are pregnant.
ECT can be very beneficial when administered alongside other treatments such as counselling and medication management, reducing pain and enhancing well-being.
When is ECT Recommended as a Treatment Option for Depression?
The case with treating depression is also unique in the same way as everyone who suffers from it, does not respond in the same manner. Some people can take therapy and medications to help treat depression symptoms while on the other hand, some cannot benefit from them. Normally, ECT is not the first approach used but it is useful when other therapies are not applicable.
Patient Eligibility for ECT
However, ECT has been known to help treat some cases of depression, but some current poor health conditions could be deemed risky to go through ECT.
- A recent heart attack, or unstable or severe cardiovascular disease
- Brain tumors or any condition that increases the pressure inside your head
- Severe lung disease
- A recent stroke
- Severe uncontrolled high blood pressure
Find the Best Rehab Center for Depression in Bangalore
While looking for the best rehabilitation center for depression in Bangalore, make sure to choose those that offer services with an individualised approach. Try to find centers where qualified personnel is employed to assist in medication administration, physical therapy, and companionship services.
Cadabam’s Hospital is founded on a medical philosophy that embraces a comprehensive care model for symptom management and sustainable recovery. Our facility is among the most effective in mental health, providing various care services to assist individuals suffering from depression.
Why Choose Cadabam’s?
Getting professional assistance for depression treatment may be challenging but acknowledging the process is possible. Cadabam’s is one of the most prominent mental health care organisations in the country. Having adopted the most recent approaches for over thirty years, our team of psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, nurses, and support workers focus on assisting people living with depression achieve total and lasting wellness.
Expert Team of Psychiatrists and Therapists for Depression
Its experienced personnel exclusively evaluate the symptoms and adopt the approaches to correspond to the patient needing depression. It is a comprehensive approach to helping them overcome their addiction with sustainable treatment solutions that are not too taxing on them.
Post-ECT Rehabilitation and Therapy Options for Depression
Our support goes beyond the therapy session that is provided in Cadabam’s. We offer aftercare and help in managing them and ensuring appropriate stabilisation after the treatment within the rehabilitation.
Family Support and Education for Depression
Cadabam’s provides rich support to families and patients that go beyond the range of depressive symptoms and hardships that they face. This helps to ensure that people are given holistic care that addresses all their needs within the merger and acquisition strategies as well as within the overall lifting care plan and process.
Ongoing Management and Relapse Prevention for Depression
Our services encompass more than just therapy and medication. We offer continual support and effective skills aimed at navigating challenges post-treatment, as well as preventive mechanisms for depression.
FAQs
Can Electroconvulsive Therapy Help Depression?
Electroconvulsive therapy is not usually a first-line treatment but works very well in lessening the symptoms of depression – including persistent low mood, apathy, and suicidal ideas.
Does ECT work for Depression?
ECT is an appropriate therapy for depressives when all other therapies have not yielded the intended results and in this procedure, a mild electrical current is used in a safe environment to induce seizures in the brain to help decrease the symptoms quicker.
How much does electroconvulsive therapy for Depression cost?
The cost of electroconvulsive therapy for depression is set between ₹3000-₹6000.
How many sessions of ECT are required for treating Depression?
It is important to state that depending on the illness itself, the session may vary from one to another. For this reason, only a mental health professional may establish a course of treatment and specify the time required after evaluating a patient with depression.
Can ECT be Combined with Other Depression Treatments?
Yes, we can add ECT to other treatments such as therapy and medication to boost the impact of the treatment and the patient’s general health.
Is Electroconvulsive therapy for Depression safe?
Yes, Electroconvulsive therapy is considered a generally safe form of treatment now, although some side effects such as confusion, physical side effects, etc. can temporarily occur. This is why before conducting ECT, medical professionals engage in tests to ensure that it is safe to be administered for the individual. The stigma to ECT treatment comes from earlier times when high doses of electricity were administered without any anaesthesia, which led to fractured bones, memory loss, and other serious side effects. However, ECT now is much safer with lower doses of electric current administered in a controlled setting, and is only done as a last resort of treatment for depression.
Who is considered for ECT treatment?
When a person is in the most severe form of depression, and not in a mental state to undertake therapy or when psychiatric medications are not helpful, especially when the person’s life is at risk, ECT is considered as a treatment option for depression. In other cases, therapy and psychiatric medications (if required) are considered to be sufficient and effective forms of treatment for depression.
How many numbers of sessions are required?
It depends on the severity of the depression and how effective it is on the person. People may have 6-12 sessions done 2-3 per week over many weeks. After that, usually psychiatric medications along with therapy is recommended to prevent depression symptoms from returning.
Available
