Mood disorders and ElectroConvulsive Therapy (ECT)
According to one commonly cited statistic, 100,000 Americans receive ECT annually.
Most often to ease symptoms of severe depression or bipolar disorder. Although exact demographic data is scarce.
Somatics is a company that developed this technology for current use. In June a jury found that the company failed to warn about risks associated with ECT. It could not however conclude that there was a legal causation between that and memory loss in one of their clients.
Experts agree that ECT can cause temporary memory loss. The scientific evidence of whether those effects are permanent is far from settled. John Read, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of East London, was an expert witness hired by a memory loss client's legal team.
Understanding how ECT works could offer important clues about the nature of psychiatric illness.
In 1930 Ladislas Meduna, a Hungarian neuropathologist, embarked on studies of the brains of patients with epilepsy and schizophrenia.
He discovered the presence of glial cells in cases of epileptic brains, that resemble glue. Schizophrenic brains did not contain it. This stark difference led Meduna to theorize. Can glial cells have something to do with mental health? Can a seizure help ease schizophrenic symptoms, including catatonia?
Meduna used a chemical agent to induce a seizure in his test patient.
He reported that for the first time in four years, the patient got out of bed, began to talk, requested breakfast, and dressed himself without any help. The patient was interested in everything around him and asked how long he had been in the hospital.
Meanwhile, in Rome, Italian neurologist Ugo Cerletti had been researching epilepsy using electrically. He induced seizures in dogs.
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He learned of Meduna’s findings but speculated that electricity might be a safer way to induce a seizure.
Cerletti, along with his assistant Lucino Bini and others, administered ECT for the first time in April 1938. Their patient was someone with schizophrenia.
After more than 10 sessions, the patient was discharged. Cerletti reported schizophrenia symptoms resolved. However, according to the patient's wife, they returned two years later.
Max Fink was a neuropsychiatrist and fervent advocate of using convulsive therapies. He wrote in an unpublished autobiography about witnessing his first ECT treatment in 1952. “As the currents were applied, the neck and back arched, the body became rigid, followed by rhythmic muscle movements and breath holding,”
In spite of those potential side effects, ECT was seen as a gateway towards a prompt recovery. At a time when the field hadn’t yet invented key psychoactive drugs, such as SSRI antidepressants.
Some researchers have revisited Meduna’s initial suggestion. They believe that the therapeutic effect of seizures had something to do with glial cells. Glial cells form the glue of the nervous system, which seems to play a role in mood disorders.
ETC looks promising in curing mood disorders. James McGaugh, a retired neurobiologist whose research focuses on learning and memory, electrical stimuli prevent the brain from transferring information.
The naturopathic approach and psychotherapy (behavioral cognitive therapy)can help with mood disorders.
Consult with your doctor if you are suffering from any form of a mood disorder. This article is written for educational purposes only.
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