Abnormal pt. 16 Flashcards
(3 cards)
1
Q
Electroconvulsive Therapy
A
A therapy for major depression in which a brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized patient
- The current causes a convulsion
- Was preceded by insulin therapy
- Sometimes called “shock therapy”
2
Q
ECT Facts
A
- Used when antidepressants and other means fail
- Most patients report an improvement in symptoms
- Side effect is potential memory loss
- How and why the process works is unknown
3
Q
Lobotomy
A
A now-rare form of psychosurgery once used to try to calm uncontrollably emotional or violent patients; the procedure cut the nerves that connects the frontal lobes of the brain to the deeper emotional centers
- Regularly done before the advent of antipsychotic drugs
- Rarely used today
