Abstract
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a method of treatment introduced 80 years ago for severe states of various mental ilnesses. Every year it is applied to almost one million patients around the world.
ECT is a highly effective treatment for certain mental conditions. Due to the substantial modernization and modification of the method, the occurrence of side effects is minimal.
This book summarizes contemporary scientific and pracitcal knowledge on the use of electroconvulsive therapy in psychiatry. The teorethical portion includes the history of ECT's develpoment, suggestions for a possible mechanism of action, and a discussion of the harmful stigma society has attached to ECT.
The practical portion covers aspects connected to the application of ECT - indications for it, the recommended procedure for carrying it out, and possible side effects (with special attention paid to cognitive side effects). The authors also include chapters focusing on ECT usage within specific groups of patients (older patients, adolescents, pregnan women and patients with neurological illnesses), and information about the prospective development of this therapy in the near future.