Optimizing Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) for Severe Mental Illness: Principles and Practice

Despite the emergence of newer neuropsychiatric brain stimulation methods, Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) remains a widely used and effective treatment for severe mental illnesses, including depression, mania, schizophrenia, and catatonia. As a crucial part of optimal treatment, psychiatrists must be skilled in diagnosis and familiar with ECT techniques to maximize treatment efficacy.

In response, Principles and Practice of Electroconvulsive Therapy serves as an unrivaled resource for psychiatrists, providing comprehensive coverage of all aspects of ECT. This guide begins with an overview of ECT, its history, and how it’s carried out, followed by a detailed examination of the typical course of treatment.

Understanding ECT Treatment

• Understanding the indications for ECT and selecting patients who might benefit from this therapy
• Educating patients and their families on ECT and obtaining patient consent
• Conducting a pretreatment medical evaluation and understanding the role of anesthesia
• Managing an individual ECT treatment, including choosing the electrical stimulus dose and parameter combination, delivering the electrical stimulus, and assisting with recovery problems
• Overseeing the course of treatments, particularly for practitioners not personally conducting the treatments
• Managing patients after a course of treatments and preventing relapse
• Assessing and managing the memory side effects of ECT

The final chapter examines other neuropsychiatric stimulation therapies in relation to ECT and explains how to choose among them. Each chapter concludes with easily referenced key points that summarize the most salient ideas, ensuring that readers can quickly absorb the most critical information.

Readers seeking to further educate themselves on ECT will also benefit from the exhaustive reference list. This resource is particularly useful for psychiatrists and psychiatric residents, but its straightforward style makes it accessible to any mental health or medical professionals interested in ECT.

Book Details: Published by American Psychiatric Association Publishing on March 6, 2019. Language: English. ISBN: 9781615372416 and 9781615372492.