Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a medical treatment that is most usually used in patients who have failed to respond to conventional therapies for severe major depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder.
While the patient is sedated, ECT includes a short electrical stimulation of the brain. A psychiatrist, an anesthesiologist, and a nurse or physician assistant are usually part of a team of qualified medical professionals that administer it.
When other therapies, including medicines and psychotherapy, have failed, ECT is often utilized. ECT is also used for those who require a quick response to treatment due to the severity of their disease, such as those who are suicidal.
The American Psychiatric Association, the American Medical Association, the National Institute of Mental Health, and equivalent organizations in Canada, the United Kingdom, and other nations have all validated ECT’s usefulness in treating serious mental diseases.
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