Posted by Christ_empowered on January 26, 2012, at 20:45:43
In reply to ect ?, posted by cee on January 26, 2012, at 18:02:32
ECT fries the brain. It used to be a cheap and easy way to punish patients and/or keep order on crowded wards, especially in state hospitals. These days, its mad expensive, what with the anaesthesia, meds, etc., so its more common in private hospitals. Still, some patients find themselves forced to undergo such "treatment" by court order.
I wouldn't sign up for that BS. If you read the older literature, back when psychiatrists were more open and honest (they called it EST, for instance--ElectroShockTherapy), you'll see that brain damage was the name of the game. With sufficient EST/ECT, you get more brain damage and more impairment than you'd get from a lobotomy.
Back in the 50s, some shrinks did experiments on reducing people to "vegetables" with EST. "Annihilation therapy," mentioned in "Mad in America," included shocking someone until they started urinating on themselves and basically became vegetables. That's "intensive ECT" these days.
I get that it helps some people, but relapse rates are high, its expensive, and its basically medical torture. I don't know why Dr.Oz is singing the praises of ECT/EST, but that's dangerous. I mean, I could see a little ECT being about as dangerous, possibly less dangerous, than some massive drug cocktail, but I pretty much think that's a misuse of Dr.Oz's considerable influence.
Anyway, what are your problems? What do you think ECT might "fix" ?
poster:Christ_empowered
thread:1008478
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120120/msgs/1008508.html