Electroconvulsive and Neuromodulation Therapies

Electroconvlusive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric treatment involving the induction of a seizure through the transmission of electricity into the brain. In the early eighties, ECT was replaced by far more effective psychopharmacologic medications as a primary treatment modality. Much of the decline in use of ECT at that time was also ascribable to the number of complications associated with the technique. Because of recent refinements and a far better understanding of the scientific mechanisms underpinning ECT, this treatment modality has lately seen a resurgence in use in clinical practice. This book is the new definitive reference on electroconvulsive and neuromodulation therapy. It comprehensively covers both the scientific basis and clinical practice of ECT, as well as providing readers with administrative perspectives for the training and management of this modality in clinical practice. The newer forms of non-convulsive electrical and magnetic brain stimulation therapy are also covered in detail and presented as a separate section.