By Paula Bolton, MS, APRN-BC

Unfortunately, because of the way it has been portrayed in books, films, and other media, many people have a mistaken impression of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Once known as electroshock therapy, ECT has frequently been represented as barbaric and violent, a process that produces memory loss or leads to mind control. Many people remember the dramatic depiction of the therapy in the 1975 movie One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.

What people rarely hear are the many stories of success and recovery for those who undergo ECT treatment. At McLean Hospitals ECT Service , we know that ECT is one of the most effective treatments we have for treating resistant mental illness like severe depression . After having ECT, many patients relate that I feel like myself again or Im getting my life back.

Despite its effectiveness, there are still a lot of misconceptions about ECT. Perhaps thats understandable because of the way electroshock therapy was performed in its early days, without the use of anesthesia or muscle relaxants. From a psychiatric point of view, patients got better, but the procedure often resulted in physical side effects.

Today, ECT is administered in a far more controlled and safe manner than it was in years past. Surrounded by a skilled team of anesthesia, psychiatric, and nursing staff, the patient is given a short-acting anesthetic that puts them to sleep. They also receive a muscle relaxant that paralyzes their muscles for a short period to prevent movement during the treatment. Heart rhythm, oxygen saturation, and blood pressure are closely monitored. Electrical stimulation is delivered to produce a seizure, but the seizure happens in the brain only, not the body. While no one knows exactly how ECT works, it may reboot the brainmuch like resetting your computer when its acting funky.