Psychology Electroshock therapy
Electroconvulsive Therapy and Its Applications Since psychiatry and psychology are relatively new areas of scientific study, the treatments and afflictions associated with them have their foundations within the 20th century. However, Electroconvulsive Therapy is not a relatively new treatment. ... Electroconvulsive therapy or ECT is a part of the broader category of shock therapy, which encompasses treatments in which beneficial convulsions and reactions are caused by the injection of insulin and other drugs. ... The therapy is usually reserved for patients who fail to respond to drugs and other therapies for schizophrenia, catatonia, bipolar disorder, and other psychotic disorders, or are in immediate danger of committing suicide or harm to others (Taylor 1). ... Findings from 18 studies involving 1,144 patients suggested that ECT was significantly more effective for the short-term treatment of depression and schizophrenia than drug therapy. ... However, electroconvulsive therapy has evolved into a safe inpatient procedure that can often be lifesaving in dire circumstances. ... Electroconvulsive therapy ties into the study of psychology because it is one of the ways to remedy abnormalities and disorders encountered in patients. One of the four goals of psychology is to change or modify behavior and ECTs do just that quite effectively.