Debate over ECT

A detailed Summary of Debate over ECT

Some things doctors never tell their patients, the following is a great example. Would you guess that a form of torture in many countries is used as "therapy" here in the United States? That's right, "[Electroconvulsive shock treatment] was used on nearly all political prisoners held in Brazil in the 1970s" (Chavin 1). Brazil is not alone in this form of medical torture. South Africa, Libya, Iran and Morocco have all been known to use Electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT) as a form of torture (Chavin 1).

ECT has been around since the 1930s and is an electrical current passing through the brain, which brings on seizures in the patient. It came from the idea that seizures and schizophrenia did not occur at the same time in one person. The why and how of this therapy is still not known (United States 1). Doctors most commonly use ECT treatments with clinically depressed, elderly individuals (Manly 1). Electroconvulsive shock therapy is a risky procedure with no guarantees and is too dangerous to be using on humans.

The opposition believes that ECT is the best way to treat life-threatening depression due to its immediate results. They also argue that when used in the right settings and under correct s

It's been known for years that ECT cannot cure life threatening depression on its own, so why is it a treatment of choice for many professionals? Money. According to Cauchon, "Psychiatrists charge $125 to $250 per shock for the five- to 15- minute procedure; anesthesiologists charge $150 to $500. $375 for use of the hospitals shock therapy room". According to the Surgeon General, " A typical course of ECT entails 6 to 12 treatments, administered at a rate of three times per week..." (1). Therefore, a patient receiving 21 shocks will pay about $18,000, and that is on an in-patient basis. That cost could triple if the patient was staying in the hospital. This is very beneficial to the doctors. A doctor " who does an average of three shocks a week, at $175 per shock, would increase his or her income by $27,300 a year" (Cauchon 6). Anesthesiologists who quit doing shock therapy will reduce their income by about $75,000 a year (Cauchon 7). This can be a huge incentive in the health care business for doctors and anesthesiologists to still encourage this treatment even though it damages brain activity and can ultimately lead to death.

In conclusion electroconvulsive shock therapy has a background that screams dangerous. The most surprising piece presented here is that a brain cannot be normal after receiving ECT treatment. One session can mean permanent brain damage forever. The death rate being found to be almost 1 in 200 makes it one of the highest death rates by a psychiatric treatment in the world (Cauchon 1). With all the medical options available to us now, why would anyone choose ECT?

The problem is "that electroshock is a form of torture. But placed in a hospital setting and cloaked in muscle relaxants... it is suddenly and inexplicitly pronounced 'therapy'" (Chavin 2). During a hostage crisis in 1980 with Libya CIA doctors found that the prisoner had underwent electroshocks to the head and genitals. Prisoners in B

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Approximate Word count = 1308
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Science