The Dangerous History of Electroconvulsive Therapy, and How It's Used Today
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ต.ค. 2024
- We’ve had a number of false starts that did more harm than good to figure out new treatments, and ECT is one of those treatments that came from a complicated history.
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Insulin shock therapy, the "have you tried turning it off and on again?" of human brains.
More like "have you tried turning it off and on again" while riding the bus from Speed. Turn it off for too long or in the wrong way and boom.
Ok I’m scared of shock theatapy
hypoglycemic seizures suck royally, whether they are from intentional or accidental insulin overdoses. i have accidentally overdosed on it a handful of times growing up diabetic, but my depression never improved afterwards. having also treated such seizures in others, i cannot imagine how dangerous giving a big insulin overdose to someone could be.
Makes me glad I live in the 21st century, but also wonder what medicine might be doing wrong right now.
Felix P. Im a pharmaceutical sciences student. Here to save you :)
Felix P. I wouldn’t hold your breath about the sanctity of this century - there are plenty of organisations that still advocate for its use in conversion therapy.
Med resistant I guess.
Sarah 1618 bless u . So interesting. Undergoing this soon .
You know they offer it still just have slicker way of selling it its mind control
I actually just found out earlier this week that my great grandmother died from a combination of the after effects of ECT and hospital neglect. I never knew that part of my family history.
Wow I just learned the same thing about my grandmother I never met
My grandmother was also harmed and died early from ECT. Doctors have been lying for over 100 years concern mental issues. They only want business, not true healing.
My aunt received ECT circa 1960 in Ohio for alcoholism. She remained sober up until she died at age 82 in 2006.
@@campbellpaul . Tell us. Did ECT ruin her memory ? Many experts knew that ECT destroyed some of a person's memory. It seems natural that would happen. The brain tissue is extremely delicate.
My Father died in 1993 of brain cancer. He was sick throught out my childhood. My Mother swears blind the ECT was an attritbute to his continued mental health and death. I concur.
Learning that it did help Carrie Fisher, I did try this as a “last resort.”
My memory loss is staggering, and in the end it didn’t help my depression.
However, I was at the point where there really was noting left to try, and because of that I think I still would have tried it.
My feelings on it are more than conflicted.
(Janelle)
My daughter had ect didn't help her either. Now she used medical marijuana.
Did/have you tried TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation)? I think it’s a newer thing and maybe it could help. I’ve been thinking of trying that before resorting to ECT.
Its a "first resort" for many money-motivated doctors. Unbelievably, ECT was "discovered" by some European physician in the 1920's, when its was observed that pigs, prior to slaughter, if shocked in their heads, were far more tractable and easier to kill. Truth.
ECT saved my life. After 5 years suffering from SEVERE depression and trying cognitive therapy and something from every family of medication currently prescribed it was a last resort. I had some memory loss but ultimately it was worth it because I know I’d have likely taken my own life. I just wanted to share my perspective. Definitely talk openly with a variety of health professionals before doing it. But it is a viable option for some who are severely depressed.
Iamso4u same for me. Nothing else worked
Same here! It saved my life until I was finally able to find a good medication for me
That’s awesome, but people should know it’s risky and merely a last resort.
Saved mine too. I'm just so tired of people spreading misleading and ignorant views of ECT.
I’m 13 treatments into ECT, and I’m loving the effects.
Geese this is depressing. I was gunna do a ‘shocking’ pun but this is just horrible.
That was not even a punny joke it was just punishment
Geese
Should i give you 100$?
That pun was so bad I’m honking with laughter
“Yeah I saw some guys killing pigs with electricity, I wonder if it would cure the mentally ill?”
it was more complicated than that. People have shown improvement of their illness after epileptic seizure so doctors thought that they can cause seizure by electricity after they saw the pigs to make them feel better.
Benjamin Vroman They weren't killing pigs with ECT. They were knocking then out before killing them, to spare them from pain.
The doctor simply thought that such an easy technique might prove useful in soaring patients from some suffering. And it worked.
My moms epileptic. She never once told me “wow what a nice seizure I had last night”.
...has she been lying to me the entire time?!??
They didn’t kill the pigs with electricity, they used the electricity to make the pigs pass out. Then, they butcher the pigs.
Human named Kate this was a joke
Back in the late 70s and early 80s my ex-husband, when he was a child and teenager, he was given ECT three times. It didn't not lessen his residual schizophrenia, it made it worse.
Tara Dobbs th-cam.com/video/HWrsxa_3-t8/w-d-xo.html
Was is applied from the begining with antipsichotic or after antipsichotic medicine stop making effect? ECT is always aplied in refractory patients, which is a mistake and don't let physician measure an accurate effectiveness of it. If you would be so kind of specify this, it would actually be from great help to patients who could or could not get beneffits from a good treatment, which is super effective for depression at least under any circumstance.
@@dr.shaman I was only told by his mother and half sister what he went through of what the doctors said had to be done. They did not tell me anything further of the process if he had meds or not before or after. That only the ECT process fucked him up worse. Mind, he was my EX husband. Meaning, I got the truth after I divorced him of the abusive marriage. Furthermore, you need to seek a professional about current uses of ECT process instead of trying to get info from someone you don' t know who barely knows anything of the full context because I do not speak to his family or him anymore. Do you understand?
@@TaraDobbs wow that's a very bad medical system. Never tried to offend, just talking from my perspective, if they never asked for other medications and u didn't know much about his personal life. I' am not talking from the ignorance btw. I'am a physician, and got my medical degree with a research that involved ECT on schizophrenic people. The only reason I saw this video, was to show to my class part of the history of ECT, since other videos aren't dynamic.
@@dr.shaman A lot of videos like that are half assed in showing or explaining anything, like they're afraid to show the nasty truth of ECT history. Good hunting to find the best material you can find.
A friend of mine has had ECT. It's fried his memory to the point that it's like talking to someone with beginning stages of Alzheimer's.
I don't know why anyone would want to erase their memory.. memory is good for reflection.
@@Strongerxthanxall He was in a psych ward. After they tried "everything," the doctors gave him ECT. Wasn't really his idea to erase his memory.
@@HideAndGeekGames i could assume that. just saying..I like remembering my life experiences no matter how terrifying some memories are.
That is why this is not medicine it is cruelty
I've been through it too. It's horrible. They say if you lose any memories that they will come back. Nope.
I have had about 30 ECT treatments and it has worked for me! My memory is bad but I am feeling a lot better.
I had ECT treatment. I had very severe depression and nothing helped. It helped me a lot and even though I have some memory loss from it, I don't regret it all. I honestly believe it saved my life until I was able to find a good medication from. It never caused me pain and it was always done with my full consent
Yes, that has been my experience. ECT is relatively safe. The main risk is anesthesia, not the seizure.
The memory loss is trivial, compared to the utter hell of severe depression.
Deperssion is a part of life i had but overcome on my own as we have to fight it
Count yourself lucky.
I had the option of doing ECT or Ketamine therapy for my OCD and depression. I’m glad my insurance was able to cover Ketamine, because electric shock scares me! Ketamine has truly been a life saver for me.
i’m really so glad ketamine worked for you. i’m actually starting ect because ketamine almost ruined my life. one infusion and i was more suicidal than i had ever been in my 8 years of depression... having horrible panic attacks, just a terrible reaction. obviously my reaction was very atypical and i’m thrilled for everyone who has loved it. i’m just hoping ect is MY life saver lol
Explain ?? I don’t live in the us
The FDA is looking at approving psilocybin mushrooms. Psilocybin is EXTREMELY effective in treating depression. I was given some mushrooms about 5 years ago. I have suffered from debilitating major depressive disorder my entire life. Now back to the mushrooms. I was given some and I ate them and not only did the depression lift, it was nonexistent for about 5 months. I didn't take enough to see George Jetson or anything but I did sense a oneness with every living thing around me. There are trials underway. I would encourage you to do some research if you don't believe me. Those really work. I wish I had some these days. I am on Prozac now and it kind of works but not really.
As you know, ECT induces a seizure. That alone scares the hell out of me. Another thing: after the seizure, the brain flatlines for a split second according to EEG readings. So a person is literally brain dead for a split second after the seizure.
@@miamor5929 Doctors use electricity by placing two electrodes on the side of the head. one on each side near the front by the forehead. Electricity is then passed through your brain by the electrodes causing the brain to go in to a seizure. It is overloading the brain with electricity and disrupting all of its functions. The seizure lasts for about 30 seconds or so and then passes. This causes damage in the brain and usually wipes out memories and other bad things like not being able to think right. That is just some of the bad things that Electroconvulsive therapy does. It's not therapy. It is very bad.
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Sleeping for 11 days straight sounds like the vacation I need.
And every stay at home mom too...
I've been treated with ECT off and on for the past several years. It worked when nothing else did.
The memory loss can be pronounced, but mostly just for the time right around the treatments. Most of the loss is temporary.
This problem needs to be considered in light of the illness, which can in itself be extremely harmful or fatal.
ECT may sound extreme, but it can be life-saving.
I had my 12th ECT session done this past Wednesday. It's help a lot with my depression and has been much more effective then medications.
@Carroll Cottle it's performed at a hospital on an outpatient basis. It's treated like any other surgical procedure. These movies don't portray what ECT is like today. You're put under general anesthesia and are treated very well before, during, and after the procedure.
@not insane I did what they call maintenance sessions for about a year and a half after my original series. The original series was three times per week then they tapered it down to once a week, then once every other week and then once a month. I got to the point where I was doing it every once two months. If I needed an additional session then my doctor would schedule me for one. I moved across state so my last session was September of last year so I haven't found someone who does ECT that takes my insurance. I'm actually doing pretty well though and have been maintaining. My current provider has ECT as a last resort again but things seem to be alright so far. He has increased my medication to a therapeutic level where it wasn't before and that has made a big difference. My chronic suicidal thoughts and psychosis are no longer as pervasive.
I too have been on multiple anti-psychotics and antidepressants. Before ECT I was in and out of the hospital multiple times a year. I've been in a state hospital twice and in 3 different residential programs since 2014. I was labeled with a personality disorder very early on so my actual depression and psychosis wasn't being adequately treated. ECT helped a ton and I did a Gene Sight test, which shows what medications I would do best on. Last week was my 1 year anniversary of not being in the hospital which doesn't sound like a big deal but it certainly was for me.
@@brookejackson4532 Hey! Did you experience memory loss & how long did the memory loss last?
@@whyisgamora4191 I am going through another series of ECT at the moment and I will say that the memory loss is more significant this time. I consider the risk worth it however because it is helping me feel better. However, I'm not sure how long the memory loss will last this time.
I know a distant relative who was subject to ECT. His constant exposure to it made him apprehensive of psychiatry and all kinds of medications. He kept replasing until his death. Surprisingly, the time he were not subject to anything is the most memorable as he was a high functioning parent. Modern science betrayed him.
Hmmm, a treatment that could either cure my depression or kill me? Sounds tempting.
Well, when you're suicidal it really is.
I'm almost there. Trying very hard to get transcranial magnetic stimulation first.
I just had my 13th ECT session today. Honestly I’m feeling a lot better, but I am having a lot of memory issues. There are people I’ve known for over a year that I’ve simply forgotten existed.
It’s so sad you’ll lose memory and forget things what other symptoms
Oh, don't worry, the memory issue won't go away. Perhaps you could have been directed to a local clean and pleasant gym for some exercise therapy rather than getting your brain damaged. Oh well, sayonara.
Wow...
@@leomarkaable1 Special place in hell for people like you
@@leomarkaable1 not much needs to be said about your kind. your worse off than any man/woman who’s gone through this an so on....
Thank you for showing the world some truth behind these treatments and how they are still abusing the mentally ill today.
Individuals that have major depression in relation to traumatic events, are the reasons why ECT may work, because yes it may remove those memories and it's associated thoughts and feelings... But BUT what the risk is, is that depending on how many shock therapy sessions the individual may have had, the loss of the person/personality will be missing too
when i hear about treatments like this it makes me glad that i wasn't born back then. I don't think i would fall under the category of "severe depression" but even still.
Nowadays, ECT is voluntary.
It is still a treatment
A close family member of mine was given ECT for postpartum, depression . even though she "consented" she highly regrets the experience and felt pressured to sign the "consent" form . This treatment is abuse of an individual at a very vulnerable time in their life . The /possible/ benefits are outweighed by the certain trauma. I hope ECT is completely stopped soon .
ECT has helped me tremendously and I’ve had minimal memory loss. Usually I only might forget the time right before the therapy. Most of the time my memory is completely there though. I’m still alive because of ECT.
From the thumbnail, I thought this video was going to be about the dangerous history of misspelling the abbreviated form of “et cetera”.
Just want to throw out there that I had ~15 sessions of ECT last March and it literally changed my life. I went from daily violent suicidal ideation to practically none; I'm not on medication anymore for depression (I'm still seeing a therapist). It's absolutely an ordeal, there's a lot of memory issues and you need a good support network, but under the eye of a good doctor I absolutely recommend it. It's a very boring procedure that's WAY too early in the morning for this night owl, but you're put under and they do the procedure and you wake up a little disoriented and that's about it.
That's great! Have you returned to work/school?
Hey! How are you doing now? 6 years after ECT treatment
ECT as a treatment is like smacking the top of the TV to get it to work.
If you are having depression this is not the way to treat this. I have suffered depression before and seeing this is not the way. First you have to figured out what is the caused of your depression and try solving it. For me I have a Family problem and what I do is I to talk to my family about it. Sometimes in life we need to let go of things that was not really for us and don't be shy to ask for help, go find someone who can help you not in a critical way that it will harm you. Healing is not painful its not hurtful not damaging. its caring, loving, forgiving and understanding. We are just humans.. we are vulnerable to things like being alone, weak, discourage, left-out, insulted, misinterpreted. But what we need to have is to understand and patience and love. Be happy and look for the things that makes you happy, ENJOY LIFE AND BE GRATEFUL THAT YOU ARE STILL ALIVE AND STILL CAN CHANGE THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE AND FORGIVE AND FORGET INSTEAD LOVE THE AND APPRECIATE THE THINGS AROUND YOU. ALWAYS REMEMBER I LOVE YOU! GOD LOVES YOU!
Error with this post is that clinical depression doesn't have such a simple cause. In fact that's what separates clinical depression (well, one of the things) from just being sad. Clinical depression is caused by imbalances in the brain, making you sad without reason. Medication is usually the best route to helping with that, talk therapy can help too, but it doesn't attack the cause of things.
Also, Sherwin Nuland did a fabulous TED talk about the positive experience he had with ECT - it actually spared him from being lobotomized because his depression was so bad. It enabled him to become a productive and prominent physician once again. Interested peeps please check it out! I watched this video early in grad school and it really made an impression on me. I used to view ECT as negative myself, however now I know far better as a clinician. For some people it is a life-saving procedure, which is why we still perform it today.
BTW, I love SciShow Psych in general and send it to clients all the time! Just been seeing a few blips of errors not getting caught. Thank you though for all your work...it's awesome overall :)
I’ve had ECT, both unilateral and bilateral. The treatment was spectacularly unsuccessful, and I have a two week hole in my memory from the bilateral phase, but I knew someone else who benefited, and considered the memory loss an acceptable price.
I only had minimal memory loss. I still continue to do ECT. The only thing I really have problems remembering is the time right before the treatment.
In 2003, I was hospitalized with psychotic depression after several rounds of medication that had no effect. doctors were close to giving up. then they suggested ECT. I received 12 treatments. although I could feel a bit dizzy after. I was more or less free from side effects. so there are patients there get a better life afterwards. I was one of them
Very accurate in some parts, but ECT started being safe since 1960 , being completely safe since then. It seems to me that making enphasis in how safe the treatment is nowadays was needed. Nowadays, studies can't show how effective it is , because they apply it on a population, who had been treated with single antipsichotic or antidepressive medicine and they have stop making efffect to a patient with schizophrenia or depression . It would be way more effective if it was used from the begining during psichotic episodes in schizophrenia with first line antipsichotics. I'am a peruvian physician specialized in the use of medical cannabis and entheogens and my graduation thesis to get my medical degree was about ECT in patients with schizophrenia.
“Improvement” means, “I hope they don’t try any of these stupid things on me. I’ll just say I feel better.”
So, most of this treatments were psychiatrist trying to hard reset your brain, like you do with your computer when it's not running properly, uff, it's a big relief that we have a better understanding of psychiatric disorders now and we don't use this methods so often. Pd: I love her haircut.
AJ Guevara while the transition of electrical to chemical solutions to mental problems seems logical the electrical solutions did show results, as mentioned in this video. At the time this was the best we had and tbh i find it pretty impressive we even found a solution. Chemical solutions were a problem because of a lack of knowledge and because of the blood/brain barrier that only lets some substances pass. With the knowledge we have today and clever chemical engineering we will keep finding more and better drugs. I wonder where the future will lead us and, as a student studying this, i hope ill be a part in it.
Well, have you heard about this thing called transplants? It's basically just wholesale replacing faulty organs in your body. And soon we'll even be able grow them rather than having to take them from someone else. You know, much like how we replace components in our computers. Just give it time - soon enough doctors won't even bother trying to fix you as much since just replacing the faulty part will be a lot easier...
princess 1618 I acknowledge that this were the things that worked with the understanding they had about the inner workings of the brain at that time, and we have to give them credit for it. But I'm just glad that we have better treatments now.
I've had ect for depression a number of times. Works like a charm.
I like her. She talks good and isn't distracting.
Lovely voice and attitude. Thank you for the information.
I just wanna let you know that
1. you're a great host and I love watching scishow psych so much!
2. this haircut is SO great and looks fierce
I was 17 when a pregnant lady at the ward in her early 30s told me that she had it when she's much younger before advising me to NEVER EVER DO IT. I've seen a few patients go thru it and personally.... amnesia isn't worth it - at least for me. with that said, I've seen it worked for some people... but I've also seen it done absolutely nothing for some of them.
That's modern medicine for ya, pal - basically trial and error. How do we make real progress? By studying Biochemistry really hard, of course...
Try TMS instead. It's so much better without the anesthesia and side effects. TMS doesn't use electricity either. It uses magnetic pulses, very much like an MRI.
I got to the point where I had to choose between remembering my (pretty traumatic) past and having the chance of a future. It did save my life, although there are definitely still a lot of times when I wish I would've just ended it a long time ago. It doesn't cure you permanently unfortunately. :(
@@CourtneyCha0s TMS is often not covered by insurance or Medicare. It does show some promise. It also requires much more time.
@@baruchben-david4196 Oh yes, I know. Luckily, more insurance companies are beginning to pick it up, including Medicare. The day it gets approved for Medicaid is the day I call that a win. And yes, it shows lots of promise, and not just for depression or anxiety. I personally did a round of TMS and if I hadn't, I probably wouldn't be here today.
I had ECT 11 years ago; it wasn't a cure and it messed with my memory but it definitely saved my life.
I had ECT a couple times a year ago due to a nasty bout of depression and it honestly helped quite a bit. I had it done in tandem with new medication and only had brief memory issues. The only thing I hated was that I felt super nauseous after waking up from anesthesia.
So now its a last resort
@@oscarosullivan4513 From I know, yes. It did help; I was desperate to get better and start school on time so I went for it.
@@dougsvlogs2127 Good to hear
Yeah my doctor tried to send me to a shock therapist today for my bipolar disorder. Considering all my severe chronic illnesses, that would be the most medically negligent thing in a long while. I stopped going to her today after 10 years because of how disgusting ECT is.
Weren't really paying attention to the video were you? Granted if you weren't asked to sign consent, that would indeed be negligence.
I want that t-shirt !!!
Runny nose Tissue same. Please tag me if someone mentions where to buy it
` ʼ thank you so much!
I want the rack wearing that t shirt
Runny nose Tissue what's benice?
I want whats underneath it
There is a legal mistake with this video at 5:42 it says that ''ECT is only used in patients who consent to those risks'' I know for a fact both legally and factually ECT is used against certain patients who never consent to treatment even if they protest to a superior court or appellate court....
True, the doctors can oblige treatment in the UK for sure.
ect cured me and saved my life. Memory loss was bad but some stuff comes back and important things aren't lost. and I couldn't read for a year and had to re-remember my home town because I had no idea where I was. But I'm doing well now, not much mental illness left. Though during stressful times my brain regresses a little but it's still no where as mentally ill as where I was.
The benefit went well for me too, it is very important and safe, and memory recovers over months or a year, I am now perfectly
I once saw a result from the treatment of extremely severe depression with ECT that was incredibly amazing. The patient and his family were very grateful.
Of course the family was grateful, they fried their relative’s brain so they didn’t have to deal with them anymore.
Don’t believe a person who has been brain damaged about their own “success” with the results, also many patients claim it worked in the presence of others and act agreeable just so they can escape the madness and the restraints at a later point, it’s a game of survival, I lied out of my a** to get out of a psych ward once, told the docs exactly what they wanted to hear and they thought they helped me lol, but I just HAD to find a way to get out of there and that was the only way.
I'm a medical student in the UK and ECT is used commonly for severe depression. It is safe and effective and I have seen patients have such good results after a couple of sessions you'd hardly believe it's the same person! There are a lot of misconceptions and misrepresentations of ECT and I feel that video isn't doing much to change that.
I m also a medical student and have been given, i just had the side effects of anaesthesia and i dont remember anything of those days, So, it is not completely safe..
Nope ect is not same rember people electric shock is still used as invstigation method one time electric chair was used as a death sentence
@@lggrover5285 thats not electro-convulsive therapy. And insulin shock therapy is not remotely the same, as the video strangely connotes. It's not your fault for the confusion. The misconceptions are terribly pervasive.
Try having it yourself ! Your observations are biased and incorrect
You ought to try it, then, tough guy. Big tough guy like you, no problemo.
My grandfather was severely bipolar. He was treated with ECT when my father was young. After the procedure was done, he had temporary amnesia. He didn't recognize his own wife or children and wasn't able to mentally function properly for a while.
Yea..this procedure is bad news.
Ive seen this treatment done as 'last resort' treatment in a mental hospital, the way it is used now is SOO much safer and does help in some cases.
Naomi Bonnici th-cam.com/video/HWrsxa_3-t8/w-d-xo.html
@@aswathyk7813 What does this have to do with ECT? This is fiction, and rather silly fiction at that. It's not how ECT is done.
As someone who has had ECT - both unilateral and bilateral - thank you for doing this episode and handling it with the objectivity that SciShow is known for. ECT completely changed my life for the better regarding my mental health, and I must admit that the cost was that I don't remember the majority of my childhood any longer. That said, I live a better life and that trade-off, to me, is something I can - and have to - live with. Thank you Brit, Hank, and the entire team. I appreciate your doing this one the most.
BTW - LOVE the shirt! Where can I get one?!
That’s a horrific trade-off, god awful, you must be too brain damaged to realize just how horrendous that is. You realize that the way ECT works it by damaging the brain so that you feel less and are bothered less by your situation (and the side effects apparently), it diminishes your mental and emotional capacity, it’s not fixing anything.
Wow. Thank you for sharing. I have recurrent major depression and it's a bit treatment resistant too.
Never been hospitalized and hope to avoid it. I don't want to get to the point of needing to decide between losing my memory and continuing to struggle with depression.
Maybe ketamine or psilocybin therapy will be approved soon for depression.
6:31 Clinical psychologists don’t have ECT “in their arsenal.” Clinical psychologists can’t administer ECT. It is a medical treatment that must be administered by a medical doctor. So psychiatrists, not psychologists, can administer ECT. This may be changing. In the past, psychologists weren’t allowed to prescribe medications. Now, they have limited prescription rights in some areas.
How do you placebo electroconvilsive therapy?
I live with Epilepsy and the thought of inducing a seizure is alarming to me. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. I am 46 and was diagnosed at five.
I am sure it works for some people and that’s great.
I have a theory that in the past, doctors weren't that concerned with keeping people alive.
"Hooked up to jumper cables" - Lee Atwater
"Kickstart my Heart" - Mötley Crüe
If I was treated with ECT I'd be sure to fake feeling better afterward.
SlyPearTree if you even remember your name after
It puts the lotion on the skin or else it gets the shocks again.
If my experience is any indication, you would not have the self-awareness to be able to fake anything.
Why? You wouldn’t be forced into taking another treatment.
😂
ECT today is a thankful game changer for the many people who suffer from treatment resistant depression and other neurological conditions.
I did it for bipolar WOST THING IV EVER DID !!!! I forget everything and actually now I hear stuff sometimes and see things that are not there
Yes it’s trauma!!!! What other side effects? I had it done I lost memory
But I don’t recall it being done to me I know they did it when I was little and later in life!
ECT has saved my life. I've been receiving treatment for just over two years now, and I've yet to notice any memory issues that I can say for sure been a result of ECT.
One thing I've been curious about, though, is how DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) might work if ECT is relient on a seizure. Maybe, just maybe, the seizure is just a necessary side effect of ECT. Why do I say this? Well, because DBS exists, and I've heard that it can be more effective than ECT... but it is much more invasive, and in my opinion carries a higher risk with the treatment.
All of this is coming from someone who has no medical background and is more just curious on how these two things actually work, so don't take any of what I have said here as fact, aside from the statement on my personal experience with ECT.
So I'm just gonna throw this in that I have had ECTs and found them super effective! I have only experienced minor memory loss and over all had a pretty good improvement in my symptoms. I totally get the concerns about how it was used in the past, but I don't personally have any qualms with it today. Anyway just throwing my two cents in to say that I personally found it effective for my mental health.
Good for you. You're lucky.
The ECT helped with my depression but severely altered my memory and functioning skills
Same dude it's not easy to live with the result is it
I'm not at all trying to be funny but it's it possible you feel better simply because you can't remember what was bothering you?
@@franny5295 true
Lol, crazy random happenstance, I'm currently in the hospital getting ECT for my depression.
Update?
@@SMB8282 Doing a lot better :)
ECT is the most effective treatment for depression by far, and its side effects are overstated. Most memory loss goes away.
Says who? You and the ECT proponents? Because I know plenty of cases that prove otherwise.
@@lukasribin4168 Says the numerous randomized peer reviewed studies. It has a remission rate of about 80%, that is higher than any other form of treatment. Additionally for most people memory and cognitive side effects go away after treatment is complete.
It's a last resort treatment for severe treatment& resistant cases only. The data does not show it to be the most effective treatment. Some psychotherapy and antidepressant combinations have higher remission rates for moderate to severe cases Mild depression cases respond best to psychotherapy alone. Recurrent and treatment-resistant cases are tricky.
ECT has come a long way and is still used as a last resort. I had ten treatments and they saved my life.
My father died after ECT treatment. The treatment itself went well, but the doctor, instead of letting him recover and regain his faculties in the hospital, sent him home with medications and a pat on the back. He was alone at home at the time, and he ended up drinking all his medication due to the fucked mental state he was in. It was standard procedure, at the time, to let patients stay a few days under the doctor's supervision, but for some reason they sent him away in a taxi.
I love your t-shirt. Spelling "Be nice" with element notations.
Oh I'll keep my xanax prescription thank you.. Anyway I had a seizure in the 90s in Sierra Leone because i caught the Norovirus by drinking some infected water and got very dehydrated, so I already had my seizure hahaha
Why the dislikes on a science video?
Do they dislike her voice, the facts, the format...?
This sounds like “Let’s try XYZ for no good reason. Can’t hurt anything and maybe it will work.”
I just caught on to your t-shirt 'be nice'. At first I thought it was elements of a periodic chart.
I am an anesthesiologist who has provided anesthesia for hundreds if not thousands of these treatments.These are more effective than meds but there are side effects to consider. We use anesthesia to keep them asleep so they can have a motionless seizure to avoid injury. Our psychiatrists have tailored the electrode placement to significantly reduce the memory issues.
I have taken care of so many patients who are happier and functional because of ECT. Not everyone benefits or benefits to the same degree, but the majority of patients do. It’s not a cure, but it is a very effective treatment.
doubtful...stop selling this crazy procedure..
It originated in European slaughterhouses, when it was discovered that shocking pigs made them more tractable prior to having their throats slit. Lucky you. Made a ton of money from your wonderful profession. Sure beats trying real science, like physics.
Keeping "them" asleep, you freak.
There is some shocking history in this video
A big part of the history of ect is missing. It wasn't based solely on the notion that seizures and schizophrenia didn't coexist, it was investigated because doctors noticed that some patients with severe depression who had epileptic (or other) seizures got better. The seizures weren't induced, they just happened because the patient had some other condition.
So now they try to recreate a convulsion, and it is often successful.
I was wondering this. It seems similar to a seizure ? Anxiety can certainly cause seizures however I don’t know about depression. My brother has had schizophrenia for twenty years and had multiple seizures but I don’t really know if it helped his condition
This was a very interesting video. Also I like the host's T-shirt.
CONSENT. What a concept.
ECT has destroyed my memory did NOT help and makes me angry still to think I was misled into believing I needed it
My great aunt was the first person to have ect in Australia (so I’ve been told) I don’t think it really helped her in any way though
So... do i get ECT done or not
My Mom received this treatment from age 13, after trauma/ molestation, until she had me at 25 in 1976. is there any effect on an unborn baby?
No because this targets the patients brain not the unborn child...
My maternal grandmother had insulin shock therapy for her depression. What caused her depression? She kept catching her husband sleeping with her live-in housekeepers. My mother has electroshock treatments for her depression. What caused her depression? Her conscience bothered her for ongoing child-abuse to her firstborn daughter. After these episodes of memory loss, she felt much better. However when her memories returned she became alcoholic which helped her live with her guilt. Conclusion to story, fix the problem which is causing your depression. You will find most things are cause & effect.
Oh you mean I can't take a taser to someone until they become sane again?!
One think I’d like to see SciShow do is debunk conversion therapy
How do you give a patient a placebo of ECT? It's not like a pill they have to swallow.
They put them under anesthesia and when they wake up say they had ECT
I absolutely LOVE your hair! I've never seen that cut before, but it is AWESOME!
Reading Shock by Kitty Dukakis and Larry Tye. About her experience with mental illness and ECT as well as the history of it. Really good book.
Wow, this is horrible. It’s impressive how far we’ve come from this.
I'm working with a psychiatrist and trying to find a psychologist for my depression. However this keeps making me think about LSD or Mushrooms, which I found in the past seemed to give the "Me" in my head more power than the depression part telling me that everything is pointless so why even move, only not quite so direct or wordy. But for me it felt like a reset button had been pushed and I seem to be able to manage my depression until something happens a few months later that starts the trickle down and next thing I know I'm having episodes again and lose all my concentration and everything I type or write turns into the same story about my ex-wife who was extremely abusive and used one of her kids as a means of income through child support and you need to have money to get the court to do anything. Justice isn't free and paternity tests are expensive when ... i'm doing it again.. sorry.
Good luck finding the right combination. While hallucinogenics have been helpful for some, they can also cause significant harm, and we don't know how predict which ride you're getting on.
Exactly, that's why I warn people not to do it for "Fun" and to make sure that if they do it's with someone they really trust because the wrong person can send you cascading anywhere. But the first times I did it was with the intention of facing things I wasn't aware of about myself and it helped a lot. I can see where a knowledgable therapist could help in that state. And it's not like salvia or DMT where you don't know what happened to you. (Unless someone did it to you without telling, which is one of the worst things you can do to a person.) Ultimately, if you aren't comfortable with facing things then don't do it.
My doctor just suggested this because after 7 years nothing has helped. It terrifies me though because of the memory loss aspect.
i'm in a similar situation, and i really wanna try it.
My mom has epilepsy. I've probably watched her have over 1,000 seizures in my lifetime, and it baffles me that anyone would think that inducing them would be a good fit for anything but the most severe cases of specific conditions. Seriously, this shit's not fun.
Well maybe you should consider the possibility that you have limited information about the origins of ECT before jumping to conclusions..
Do you actually think your more knowledgeable than MDs on this subject?
@@TheXtremeDrums yup
ECT has helped me tremendously. It’s much different than a regular epileptic seizure or seizure in general. I’ve had seizures before due to a head injury a long time ago. Now I do ECT and it’s much different. I only had minimal memory loss. I still continue to do ECT. The only thing I really have problems remembering is the time right before the treatment.
Spoken as someone who has clearly never received ECT, this video comes off as patronizing. 2 years of retrograde and anterograde amnesia, lost any ability to not get distracted, diagnosed with permanent brain damage and induced epilepsy for life. Thanks ECT.
The video is factual. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with ECT. It is used as a last resort when all other treatments fail, but despite huge advancements treating depression, psychiatry still isn't yet a very precise medical specialty. I hope that changes soon. We need it to.
Watching this JUST after I got my insurance coverage info on my ECT 😅😅😅 (for major depressive disorder).
💀💀💀💀
THANK YOU SCISHOW!!! But WILL YOU PLEASE DO A VIDEO ON GLIOMAS??!?!!? Or at least give me a yes or no???
I'm diagnosed with Bipolar 1, and did ECT about 8 months ago. Suffered memory loss, and had electrodes on BOTH sides of the head. With anesthesia.
I did NOT consent to that risk, as I was literally forced by my parents to accept the treatment. IN CANADA. There's a lot of ethical work that needs to be done here and any place that holds such loose regulations on a very dangerous procedure.
Still severely bipolar, BTW. Maybe it works for schizophrenic and depressed patients, but not the bipolar. (At least in my case).
^THIS. I’m also in Canada , and believe me, they don’t always even get consent - or even inform you (or anybody) that it’s going to be done to you. I had a LOT of problems . I won’t get into details but yeah this treatment Sucked and i definitely have major memory problems even all these years later ...
I wouldn’t wish this upon my worst enemy!
Sometimes I wonder if ECT will be the only thing that works for me. I've tried so many meds.
I found it far more effective and tolerable than the billion meds I tried.
Bring it up with your psychiatrist.
ECT does have a high rate of efficacy, and I do think it’s a mistake to simply view it as a last resort, but I found it fully ineffective in treating my depression. There are risks, but those are for you and your doctor to weigh in your specific case. Despite experiencing some negative side effects and the treatment not working for me, I’m still glad I did it; at the very least, it’s another treatment option that’s now been eliminated.
You could try TMS. It's similar to ECT but basically just not as extreme. There's no side effect of memory loss and it's all around less invasive and less dangerous. The side effects are super minor and most people don't even have any. I'm in it right now and it's 4 days a week with about a 20 minute session and it's not painful. I think if it works it'll be worth it bc I've tried so many meds too... idk. Just a suggestion
Hopefully in a few years psychedelic assisted psychotherapy will get the approval. Clinical trials have shown promising results (Psilocybin for depression). This aparently targets the root of the issue rather than being a patch. SSRIs, etc aren't that great because after a while your brain adjusts to the build up of serotonin, and other chemicals depending on the meds and then produces less, requiring you to up the dose and the cycle continues.
Don't even think the same irresponsibility and exaggeration of the results do not continue to this day in the medicine field and drug trials. It is true that the newer treatments have less side effects, but only relative to previous treatments. The side effects can still be pretty debilitating. We have a long way to go.
What exactly is the placebo to your brain being shocked?
sham- ECT Only anesthesia and muscle-relaxant.
It is STILL dangerous and barbaric.
If you understand what severe depression actually looks like, you might understand why it is used after every single other approach available to treat such a patient has failed - and there are MANY treatments for depression.
Severe depression can mean that someone acts barely awake and often does sleep for extremely long portions of a day, their speech and cognition are slowed down very noticeably, they are trapped in an endless state of cyclical rumination of self-defeating negative thoughts about themselves and the world they live in, their motor functions can be so slowed down that it can look like they are moving in slow motion or, sometimes, they simply freeze, and there can be psychotic symptoms too - like delusional beliefs and hallucinations (a rare but extreme version of that is the belief that you are, in fact, already dead - but there are others.) And then there's the suicidality.
In this kind of terrible case of treatment-resistant severe depression, ECT - even with its potential for memory loss - is the last best option to perhaps moving the patient out of these depths. If you can get someone to more moderate depressive symptoms, you might be able to get a response from psychotherapy, dietary changes, exercise, or trying medications again.
PLEASE talk about TMS
“the dangerous history of etcetera”
Et Cetera is etc., not ECT; but I thought it said "ECT" too XD
There's stil a point here: would _you_ go for the ETC treatment?
same haha 1:16 am here
@@thstroyur I would, and did. It had a highly beneficial effect on my life. I have no regrets, and would do it again if symptoms became severe again.