ECT and severe clinical depression ?

Q.It is my understanding that the only approved (by the US FDA) use for electro-shock therapy is in the treatment of severe clinical depression. Anyone have the scoop? People with severe clinical depression spend their entire day curled up in a ball on the floor. I don't see how Scientology[tm] is supposed to help with that.

A.ECT is used solely to treat "refractory depression": depression which is nonresponsive to other therapies. People with refractory depression are constant threats to their own safety and are often unsuitable for psychotherapy because of the acute effects of depression. Since SSRIs generally take 7 to 21 days to begin to take effect, and some severe types of depression do not respond, or do not respond adequately, to SSRIs, another approach is required in extremely severe cases. ECT is used solely to break the grip of refractory depression long enough for an SSRI or other antidepressive to take effect and/or to permit the onset of effective psychotherapy. It is not a long-term or permanent solution. The main advantages of ECT are that it works when nothing else does, and its effect is immediate. The major disadvantage is interference with short-term memory. ECT is rarely used outside of an institutional setting, since its use is generally restricted to people who present an immediate threat to their own safety. The FDA does not have approval authority over the use of ECT. They hold authority over the design and manufacture of ECT machines, as they are "medical devices." The FDA cannot dictate how ECT is to be used any more than they can tell a doctor what medication to prescribe for any particular patient. Before neuroleptic drugs were discovered schizophrenics made up most of the population of mental hospitals. They were a large body of effectively permanent patients, who were usually restrained for their own safety. Once these drugs began seeing use most of these patients were able to return to their families. In a few short years the hospitals, which were becoming crowded, suddenly emptied.

Other Questions :

Depression-screening.org ?

"Your screening results indicate a high likelihood that you are suffering from clinical depression. Your answers also show you might be at risk for harming yourself. You are advised to see your doctor or a mental health professional immediately...

Mood and Anxiety Disorders During Pregnancy Pt1, Pregnancy's affect on anx/pan/dep

Pregnancy has long been associated with emotional well-being in the woman and her family. Recent research, however, has shown that for many women, the experiences of pregnancy and motherhood are times of increased vulnerability to psychiatric ...

Depression Disorder Symptoms. "Signs of Bipolar Disorder May Start in Infancy " ?

When investigators reviewed the medical records of 58 adults with manic-depressive disorder, they found telltale ''clusters'' of symptoms that often began in the first years of life. Since childhood, the patients had suffered bouts of depressio...

Post Pardum Depression Symptoms

Yates, 37, has pleaded innocent by reason of insanity to two counts of capital murder in the deaths of three of her children. Her family says she suffered from severe depression after the births of her children. However, the jury decided ...

Depression and medication ?

I have been back and fore to the doctor re the exhaustion and she thinks it is because I am depressed and should go onto medication. I am pretty sure that there is a physical reason for the tiredness and I feel that given what I have been copi...