Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT for short, is a treatment that involves sending an electric current through your brain, causing a brief surge of electrical activity within your brain (also known as a seizure). The aim of the treatment is to relieve the symptoms of some mental health problems.
What happens during ECT?
WHAT IS ECT? During ECT, a small amount of electrical current is passed through the brain while the patient is under general anesthesia. This current causes a seizure that affects the entire brain, including the parts that control mood, appetite, and sleep.
What is an ECT used for?
ECT is used to treat: Severe depression, particularly when accompanied by detachment from reality (psychosis), a desire to commit suicide or refusal to eat. Treatment-resistant depression, a severe depression that doesn’t improve with medications or other treatments.
Is ECT used for anxiety?
Conclusions: Electroconvulsive therapy is effective in the acute treatment of major depressive disorder patients associated with anxiety symptoms. Anxiety symptoms improved less than depression symptoms during acute electroconvulsive therapy.
How does ECT work in depression? – Related Questions
What is the success rate of ECT therapy?
What is the Success Rate of Electroconvulsive Therapy? ECT is an effective medical treatment option, helping as many as 80-85 percent of patients who receive it. Most patients remain well for many months afterwards.
Who is a candidate for ECT?
People who have had ECT before and responded well are good candidates for ECT. Other first-line indications for the procedure include people who are catatonic or suffering from a form of depression known as psychotic depression (depression associated with delusions and hallucinations).
Is ECT used for panic attacks?
ECT is not used to treat anxiety and therefore does not have a role in people who have solely an anxiety disorder. ECT may have a role in people who have comorbid depression and anxiety.
When should ECT not be used?
Not everyone is a candidate for treatment even if they believe ECT could help them. For example, children under age eleven cannot undergo ECT for mental health disorders. People with heart conditions and people who cannot handle short-acting sedatives or muscle relaxers should not undergo ECT treatments.
Is ECT more effective than antidepressants?
As for its safety and effectiveness, not only can ECT improve depressive symptoms, but its effects may be superior to those of classical psychotherapy and antidepressants in exclusively treatment-resistant depression.
What are treatments for anxiety?
The two main treatments for anxiety disorders are psychotherapy and medications. You may benefit most from a combination of the two. It may take some trial and error to discover which treatments work best for you.
What is the first drug of choice for anxiety?
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) SSRIs and SNRIs are often the first-line treatment for anxiety. Common SSRI brands are Celexa, Lexapro, Luvox, Paxil, and Zoloft.
Is anxiety a mental illness?
Anxiety disorders are the most common of mental disorders and affect nearly 30% of adults at some point in their lives. But anxiety disorders are treatable and a number of effective treatments are available. Treatment helps most people lead normal productive lives.
What are the 6 major types of anxiety disorders?
The five major types of anxiety disorders are:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Panic Disorder.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Social Phobia (or Social Anxiety Disorder)
What is the most severe form of anxiety?
Panic disorder
Panic attacks are intense, overwhelming and often uncontrollable feelings of anxiety. Physical symptoms can include trouble breathing, chest pain, dizziness and sweating. If someone has repeated panic attacks they may have a panic disorder.
What is the broadest anxiety disorder?
GAD is the broadest anxiety disorder in its class, and one of the most common. It affects about 3% of the general population in a given year;7,12 lifetime prevalence is about 5%.
What is the most commonly diagnosed anxiety disorder?
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is the most common anxiety disorder among older adults, though anxiety disorders in this population are frequently associated with traumatic events such as a fall or acute illness.
What type of people are prone to anxiety?
Research suggests that people with certain personality traits are more likely to have anxiety. For example, children who are perfectionists, easily flustered, timid, inhibited, lack self-esteem or want to control everything, sometimes develop anxiety during childhood, adolescence or as adults.
What conditions are mistaken for anxiety?
Conditions That Look Like Anxiety
- Heart Problems. 1/15. These can spike your heart and breathing rates the same way anxiety does.
- Asthma. 2/15.
- Diabetes. 3/15.
- Hyperthyroidism. 4/15.
- Sleep Apnea. 5/15.
- Adrenal Dysfunction. 6/15.
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) 7/15.
- Electrolyte Imbalance. 8/15.
What are signs of high anxiety?
Common anxiety signs and symptoms include:
- Feeling nervous, restless or tense.
- Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom.
- Having an increased heart rate.
- Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
- Sweating.
- Trembling.
- Feeling weak or tired.
- Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry.
What triggers anxiety attacks?
Difficult experiences in childhood, adolescence or adulthood are a common trigger for anxiety problems. Going through stress and trauma when you’re very young is likely to have a particularly big impact. Experiences which can trigger anxiety problems include things like: physical or emotional abuse.
