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Post by Stefan Gordon on Mar 6, 2017 19:20:38 GMT -4
When I finished reading this article the first question I asked myself was why the ECT only used in resistant cases of mania,depression and bipolar disorder and pregnant women? Based on what I read so far the most dangerous side effects of ECT come from the anesthesia done prior to the actual procedure so at its worse it is no more dangerous than general surgery. However, the ECT procedure itself seems to have a bad reputation in the public eye. In a survey done in America less than 50% of people thought ECT was a good procedure for the patient. A famous American writer who committed suicide in 1961 shortly after an ECT procedure, Ernst Hemmingway said in response to the ECT procedure " Well, what is the sense of ruining my head and wasting my memory, my capital... She then goes on to say " it is a brilliant cure but we lost the patient". These quotes summarize the sentiment of the wider public who seem to cherish their memory as an integral part of themselves. ECT causes anterograde amnesia and retrograde amnesia but affects the latter much more significantly. For some people the fear of "losing themselves" or even apart of themselves from ECT induced amnesia as the author described in the article is too much to wager in exchange for a cure for their mental illness. For others the memory loss is a welcoming refuge from the danger of their mental illness. Whatever the case, it is clear to me at least, that ECT is not for everyone.
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