Dr Oz: Electro Convulsive Therapy ECT vs Electroshock Therapy

Dr Oz: ECT Electro Convulsive Therapy for Depression

You’ve only seen it in horror movies, but today, Dr Oz took you behind closed doors to give you a preview of how Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT) worked. Today, more than 100,000 people in the US have had this approved medical procedure done to help cure depression. But does it work?

Dr Oz: Electroshock Therapy

Electroshock Therapy was introduced in 1913 and used a higher voltage. During the electroshock therapy, patients were not given any anesthesia so they were alert through the procedure.

(Dr Oz showed footage of actual electroshock therapy treatments and it looked painful.) ECT, the more modern procedure, used anesthesia and the voltage is much lower. The success rate is 80 percent.

Julie had suffered from severe depression in 2001. She told Dr Oz that she felt like “a ghost in her own body.” As her mental instability progressed, she thought about suicide. A tiny voice inside kept telling her that she didn’t deserve to live. She felt like her husband and kids would be better off without her. Eventually, Julie reached the point where she tried to take her own life. One evening her husband found her at the table with a knife to her wrist. This is when she decided that she needed help.

She tried psychotherapy, rehab centers and various drugs to combat her depression. After her 3rd suicide attempt, her doctor suggested ECT. After her first treatment, she was ready to live again. From one day to the next, her life got better. She had a complete turnaround.

Without ECT, Julie felt she would be dead. While it was difficult to make the make the decision to have it, the results have been astonishing.

Dr Oz: ECT Therapy

Dr. Keith Ablow. MD, told Dr Oz that he recommended ECT in his practice. The procedure worked by inducing a seizure in the brain at a low current of voltage. This resets the chemical receptors or messengers in the brain. (Patients are given anesthesia and muscle relaxants.) One side effect is limited memory loss, but Dr. Ablow mentioned that most other treatments hadside effects, too. Dr. Ablow felt that more people should be using ECT to combat depression because studies have indicated an 80 percent effectiveness.

Dr Oz: Electro Convulsive Therapy Candidates

– those considering taking own life
– experiencing delusions
– haven’t benefited from other treatment (ex. You’re taking 1 or more antidepressants)

Dr. Ablow suggested visiting your psychiatrist to be evaluated first.

In most cases, insurance will cover ECT. Most ECT procedures are performed as an outpatient. The procedure is simple, you sleep for 5-10 minutes and most patients have 6-12 procedures done.

Dr Oz: ECT Review

– mouth guard goes into the patient’s mouth (patient is asleep)
– doctor applies ECT probes to the side and the top of the brain
– doctor applies the shockwaves, which resets neurons

Dr. Sarah Lisanby, MD explained further, stating that ultra brief pulses are carefully designed to the way the brain responds to electricity. With the modernization of ECT, the risk of memory loss is much less. Julie, a patient, stated she had her last procedure 5 years ago. Today, she feels great. In conjunction with the therapy, Julie stated that to keep her mind and body healthy, she continues to take an antidepressant. She also watches her diet and exercise and makes sure she gets enough sleep.

Dr Oz asked Julie if she would suggest ECT and Julie commented that you should definitely be aware of the risks. It also helps to have an advocated who is with you throughout the process. She went on to say that if your psychiatrist recommends it, you should do it.