Electroshock: applications of electroconvulsive therapy

With the popularization of the use of electricity in the 19th century, a large number of applications of this phenomenon appeared. One of them was the treatment of physical and mental diseases through electroshock; however, electroconvulsive therapy as such did not emerge until the first half of the last century.

Despite his bad reputation, electroconvulsive therapy or electroshock has several applications that have been validated by scientific research. Although to this day it still carries some side effects and risks, these are much less serious than is usually believed.

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What is electroconvulsive therapy?

Electroshock therapy consists of apply low-intensity electrical currents to the brain with the goal of provoking a mild seizure. This in turn produces chemical changes in the central nervous system, which can alleviate the symptoms of certain psychological disorders.

The exact mechanism of action of electroconvulsive therapy is not known, although it is believed that it has an anticonvulsant effect in the frontal lobes in the short term and in the long term

promotes blood flow and metabolism in the temporal lobes. It also seems to increase the volume of the hippocampus.

This type of intervention is carried out under the effects of anesthesia and muscle sedatives; In addition, mouth guards are often used to prevent damage to the tongue and teeth. Small electrodes are placed on one or both sides of the head; through them the downloads will be received.

Electroshock equipment-induced seizures typically last less than a minute. Although the person remains unconscious and physically relaxed, electroencephalographic activity skyrockets during this time; later the brain recovers its normal function.

Electroconvulsive therapy interventions consist of several sessions, generally between 6 and 12, which are distributed over a period of 3 or 4 weeks, so that at least a couple of days are allowed to pass between each application of electroshock. Treatment is tailored based on the specific disorder and the severity of the symptoms.

Applications of this treatment

Electroconvulsive therapy is commonly used in patients with severe symptoms that do not respond to other treatments, although it does not work in all cases. So far, research has confirmed the effectiveness of electroshock in the following disorders.

1. major depression

In the case of depression, electroshock is used especially when there is psychotic symptoms or imminent risk of suicide, especially if other treatments have been applied and no results have been obtained.

It is considered that this therapy is useful in the management of psychogenic depression, but also that which appears as consequence of biological alterations, such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea or sclerosis multiple.

electroconvulsive therapy has a 50% success rate in these types of cases. Depressive episodes in the context of bipolar disorder show a response similar to electroshock.

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2. Bipolar disorder

Electroshock is a second-line treatment for bipolar disorder, both for episodes depressive and manic, which are characterized by a prolonged state of euphoria and activation excessive. It is particularly applied in bipolar patients who present long-lasting manic episodes.

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3. catatonia

The catatonia It is a state of immobility or motor disorganization that occurs with a decrease in reactivity to environmental stimuli. It usually occurs in the context of schizophrenia, although it can also occur in depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or due to physical effects, such as substance overdose.

When catatonia is severe and puts the person's life at risk, mainly due to starvation, electroconvulsive therapy is considered the treatment of choice. However it seems that these effects are short-lived, so it is necessary to combine electroshock with other long-term treatments.

4. Schizophrenia

Electroconvulsive therapy is sometimes applied to schizophrenic patients who do not respond to drug treatmentantipsychotics. As we have seen, it is especially effective in cases of catatonic schizophrenia, one of the most common subtypes of this disorder.

Side effects and risks of electroshock

In the beginning, electroshock was applied without anesthesia and electric shocks used to be unnecessarily intense. This made primitive treatments cause very serious side effects, among which the most common and striking were memory loss and fractured teeth and vertebrae.

Nowadays electroshock is considered a safe treatment. It is true that sometimes there is confusion and retrograde amnesia right after app downloads, but orientation recovers after a few days at most, and memory loss is rarely sustained more than a month or two after completion of the treatment.

During the weeks of treatment headaches are common, muscles and jaws, as well as nausea. These symptoms subside with the use of ordinary medicines. In general, the risks and side effects of electroshock are no greater than those of any other procedure that involves the use of anesthesia.

One of the most striking aspects of electroconvulsive therapy is that no contraindications have been described; for example, it is the treatment of choice to treat severe depression resistant to psychotherapy in pregnant women, since it does not carry any risk for the fetus, unlike most medications.