confusion and memory loss is the most common adverse effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ect).
the most common adverse effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ect) is?
confusion and memory loss
aside from effects in the brain, the general physical risks of ect are similar to those of brief general anesthesia; the u.s. surgeon general's report says that there are "no absolute health contraindications" to its use. immediately following treatment, the most common adverse effects are confusion and memory loss. some patients experience muscle soreness after ect. this is invariably due to the muscle relaxants given during the procedure, rather than caused by muscle activity. ect does not lead to brain damage. the death rate during ect is around 4 per 100,000 procedures. there is evidence and rationale to support giving low doses of benzodiazepines or otherwise low doses of general anesthetics, which induce sedation but not anesthesia, to patients to reduce adverse effects of ect.
electroconvulsive therapy
"although electroconvulsive therapy (ect) is one of the most effective treatments for various psychiatric disorders since its introduction, it is one of the most controversial and scrutinized therapies in psychiatry". because it is highly controversial and scrutinized there is lack of importance given to educating students about ect. "the negative connotations related to ect tend to get reinforced from lack of knowledge and negative attitudes". with the lack of knowledge students cannot provide client's all alternatives to their entitled care. educating students is important because they can go through their career understanding the many alternatives and they can provide patients with a knowledgeable background to support it. "nurses play an essential role in ect, because of their close involvement with patients before and after the procedure. the knowledge and attitude of the nursing staff working ect rooms can have direct impact on the quality of their nursing practice". in a study, published in the "journal of neuroscience in rural practice", there was a total of 183 nursing students that were surveyed on their knowledge about electroconvulsive therapy. “only about half (53.6%) of the participants were aware that ect cannot be given against the wishes of the patients”. this result has a lot to do with the associated stigma, that patients receive ect against their will, no treatment is given against the patients wishes. changing this stigma can happen with knowledge that starts at school. "the present study shows that there are gaps in knowledge about ect among nursing students… to fill such gaps there is a need to develop more pro-ect curriculum".
history of electroconvulsive therapy in the united states