Electroconvulsive Therapy
Author: Reid WH
Tex Med 1993 May
Journal Volume: 89: 58 through 62 Abstract: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
is a safe, effective, valuable treatment for serious affective disorders (eg,
major depression). Sometimes indicated for other, occasionally nonpsychiatric,
medical conditions, ECT is a moderately complex procedure for which training is
provided routinely during psychiatric residency. Although temporary confusion
and amnesia are expected immediately after treatment, no reliable data suggest
that permanent memory loss or cognitive deficit is caused by modern ECT. Indeed,
because severe depression itself often causes both memory and cognitive
deficits, ECT's remarkable therapeutic effectiveness is associated with
long-term improvement in cognition, learning ability, and memory for many
patients. Controversy over safety and effect on memory is fueled largely by
public misinformation.
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