When Everything Else Has Failed, Mental Health Patients Turn To Electroconvulsive Therapy
Doctors create a small seizure that some say "resets" the frontal lobe in patients where other intensive therapy has proven unsuccessful. The procedure was once called electroshock therapy.
Capital Public Radio/KXJZ:
Intensive Mental Health Treatments: Options Of Last Resort
Researchers disagree as to whether ECT affects the neurotransmitters or the hormone regulators in the brain. By creating a seizure, a small electricity current can "re-set" the frontal lobe of the brain. The treatment has changed little in the last 80 years. But now, the patient or a judge must first give consent. Also, the amount of electricity delivered is limited and the patient is under anesthesia during treatment. (Moffitt, 11/17)