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Chapter 17 - Electroconvulsive Therapy and Neurostimulation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2019

By
Tibi Csizmadia ,
Paul Jones  and
Mark Fisher
Edited by
Rob Butler  and
Cornelius Katona
Rob Butler
Affiliation:
Waitemata DHB and North Shore Hospital, Auckland
Cornelius Katona
Affiliation:
Helen Bamber Foundation
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Summary

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the passing of an electric current between two scalp-applied electrodes to produce a short generalised seizure, repeated two or three times weekly. ECT was introduced to psychiatry in 1938 by Cerletti, and was quickly adopted around the world because of its effectiveness and the lack of other good treatments at that time [1]. While the use of ECT has declined over the last 30 years owing to the availability of pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments, it retains a critical place in the management of patients resistant to pharmacotherapy or those who are severely unwell.

Type
Chapter
Information
Seminars in Old Age Psychiatry , pp. 190 - 204
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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