Your doctor should offer you ECT if they think that it is a good option for you. They should explain the pros and cons of treatment. Your relatives, carers or an advocate should be involved in the discussion too.
You will be medically examined to make sure you’re well enough to have the ECT.
If you don’t want ECT you don’t have to have it. You should not be pressured by your doctor to have ECT if you don’t want it.
You can stop ECT at any time if you decide to try it and don’t like it.
Can I have ECT if I have had it before?
Your doctor can talk to you about having more ECT if you have catatonia or mania. And you have responded well to ECT.
If you have had ECT before and you didn’t respond well, it should only be offered to you again if they have tried everything else. And they have spoken to you about the risks and benefits of ECT.
Doctors may talk to your carer, advocate or relatives to help you decide if you want more ECT. They can explain ECT to you.
Can doctors give me ECT if I don’t consent to it?
In certain situations, doctors can give you ECT without you agreeing to it. These are if you:
- lack the mental capacity to consent , or
- need emergency treatment under the Mental Health Act. See further down this page for more information.
What does lacking mental capacity to consent mean?
Doctors can give you ECT if you lack the mental capacity to make a decision about your treatment. This is called making a ‘best interests’ decision.’ A best interest can only be considered for you if you lack mental capacity in line with the Mental Capacity Act.
A best interest’s decision to give you ECT can be made, even if you are not detained under the Mental Health Act. But this is very rare. Doctors should consider your view’s and views of your family, carers. They also need to consider the views of people who can make a legal decision on your behalf before they decide to treat you.
If you don’t have anyone who can give their opinion about your treatment you should have an independent mental capacity advocate (IMCA) to help. An IMCA is free to use and don’t work for the NHS.
The Court of Protection can make a decision if there are disagreements about if ECT would be in your best interests.
But ECT shouldn’t be given if you have a valid advance decision in place to refuse ECT. See further down this page for more information.
You can find more information about
- Mental capacity and mental illness by clicking here.
- Mental Health Act by clicking here.
- Advocacy by clicking here.
Can I be given ECT if I am detained under the Mental Health Act?
You can accept or refuse ECT if you have the mental capacity to make the decision about your treatment.
A medical professional will certify that you have agreed to the treatment and that you have the mental capacity to make this decision. But you don’t have the right to refuse most other mental health treatments whilst detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act.
What happens if I have the capacity to refuse treatment, but it is an emergency?
If you are in hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA) you can have ECT without your consent if:
- there is a real risk to your life,
- to stop you from becoming seriously unwell, or
- to stop you becoming seriously unwell and a risk to yourself or others.
What happens if I don’t have the mental capacity to consent to ECT?
A Second Opinion Appointed Doctor (SOAD) must agree with your doctor that it is in your best interests to have ECT if you lack mental capacity.
The SOAD will:
- interview you,
- talk about your treatment with the doctor in charge of your care, and
- talk to a registered nurse and a non-medical professional who are involved in your treatment.
The SOAD must write down if they think you should have ECT or not. Their decision doesn’t have to be shared with you if they think it would cause mental or physical harm to you or anyone else. But in most cases, you should be able to see the SOAD’s decision.
There are 2 situations when the SOAD will not be able to agree that you need ECT.
- You have a valid advance decision refusing ECT.
- Someone has the legal right to make treatment decisions for you and they refuse it on your behalf.
People who are able to make legal decisions on your behalf are:
- an attorney. You would have an attorney if you made a lasting power of attorney for your welfare decisions,
- a Deputy. Your deputy will be appointed by the Court of Protection, or
- The Court of Protection.
You can find more information about:
- Mental capacity and mental illness by clicking here.
- Mental Health Act by clicking here.
- Advocacy by clicking here.
What is an advance decision?
An advance decision is legally binding. It gives you the legal right to refuse specific medical treatment in future when you may not have the mental capacity to make the decision for yourself at that time. An advanced decision can’t be used for anything else.
You can make an advance decision if you don’t want ECT in the future.
We recommend that you write down your advance decision and share it with your relatives, carers and your healthcare team. It is your responsibility to make people aware of your advance decision.
If you make a valid advance decision refusing ECT then doctors can only give you ECT in an emergency situation to:
- save your life, or
- stop you getting very unwell from something that can’t be reversed.
To make a valid advance decision you have to:
- be over 18 and
- have mental capacity to make the decision.
You can find more about ‘Planning your care – advance statements and advance decisions’ by clicking here.
When medication fails to ease the symptoms of clinical depression, there are other options to try. Brain stimulation techniques such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), for example, can be used to treat major depression that hasn't responded to standard treatments.
The least invasive of these techniques is called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), in which a magnetic field is created by a device held above the head, causing a weak electrical signal to be applied to the prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain that is connected to mood.
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is another treatment for depression that uses a surgically implanted pacemaker-like device that electrically stimulates a nerve that runs up the neck into the brain. The nerve is called the vagus nerve. With ECT, an electric current is briefly applied through the scalp to the brain, inducing a seizure.
In addition, alternative therapies such as yoga and hypnosis sometimes work for mild depression.
ECT is among the safest and most effective treatments available for depression. With ECT, electrodes are placed on the patient's scalp and a finely controlled electric current is applied while the patient is under general anesthesia. The current causes a brief seizure in the brain. ECT is one of the fastest ways to relieve symptoms in severely depressed or suicidal patients. It's also very effective for patients who suffer from mania or a number of other mental illnesses.
ECT is generally used when severe depression is unresponsive to other forms of therapy. Or it might be used when patients pose a severe threat to themselves or others and it is too dangerous to wait until medications take effect.
Although ECT has been used since the 1940s and 1950s, it remains misunderstood by the general public. Many of the procedure's risks and side effects are related to the misuse of equipment, incorrect administration, or improperly trained staff. It is also a misconception that ECT is used as a "quick fix" in place of long-term therapy or hospitalization. Nor is it correct to believe that the patient is painfully "shocked" out of the depression. Unfavorable news reports and media coverage have contributed to the controversy surrounding this treatment.
Prior to ECT treatment, a patient is given a muscle relaxant and is put to sleep with a general anesthesia. Electrodes are placed on the patient's scalp and a finely controlled electric current is applied. This current causes a brief seizure in the brain.
Because the muscles are relaxed, the visible effects of the seizure will usually be limited to slight movement of the hands and feet. Patients are carefully monitored during the treatment. The patient awakens minutes later, does not remember the treatment or events surrounding it, and is often confused. The confusion typically lasts for only a short period of time.
ECT is usually given up to three times a week for a total of two to four weeks.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, ECT can be beneficial and safe in the following situations:
- When a need exists for rapid treatment response, such as in pregnancy
- When a patient refuses food and that leads to nutritional deficiencies
- When a patient's depression is resistant to antidepressant therapy
- When other medical ailments prevent the use of antidepressant medication
- When the patient is in a catatonic stupor
- When the depression is accompanied by psychotic features
- When treating bipolar disorder, including both mania and depression
- When treating mania
- When treating patients who have a severe risk of suicide
- When treating patients who have had a previous response to ECT
- When treating patients with psychotic depression or psychotic mania
- When treating patients with major depression
- When treating schizophrenia
While ECT uses an electric current to induce seizure, TMS creates a magnetic field to induce a much smaller electric current in a specific part of the brain without causing seizure or loss of consciousness. The current is caused by the magnetic field created by an electromagnetic coil that delivers the pulses through the forehead.
Approved by the FDA in 2008 for treatment-resistant depression, TMS works best in patients who have failed to benefit from one, but not two or more, antidepressant treatments. Also, unlike ECT, TMS does not require sedation and is administered on an outpatient basis. Patients undergoing TMS must be treated four or five times a week for four to six weeks.
Research has shown that TMS produces few side effects and is both safe and effective for medication-resistant depression. However, its effectiveness as currently performed appears to be less than that of ECT.
A vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) device was approved by the FDA for adult patients with long-term or recurrent major depression. Some patients who undergo VNS may have been taking many medications for depression yet continue to suffer with its symptoms.
How VNS works: The small stimulator is implanted under the skin of the collarbone and runs under the skin to the vagus nerve in the neck. The device emits electrical pulses to stimulate the brain.
Alternative treatments can sometimes provide relief that traditional Western medicine cannot. While some alternative therapies have become accepted as part of modern health care practice, others still have not been proven safe or effective.
Whether or not they are scientifically proven, alternative therapies, by providing forms of relaxation and relief from stress, may have a place in healing and general health and well-being. Examples of alternative therapies include acupuncture, guided imagery, chiropractic treatments, yoga, hypnosis, biofeedback, aromatherapy, relaxation, herbal remedies, and massage.
In general, alternative therapies by themselves are reasonable to use for mild but not more severe forms of clinical depression.
Experimental therapies are treatments that are not regularly used by doctors. Their safety and effectiveness are still being studied.
Some experimental therapies currently being investigated for treatment of depression include:
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in women: Depression is more common in women than in men. Changes in mood with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), post-childbirth, and postmenopause are all linked with sudden drops in hormone levels. Hormone replacement is a treatment currently used to relieve symptoms of menopause such as night sweats and hot flashes. HRT can also help prevent bone-thinning osteoporosis. However, the true contribution of hormones to depression is not known. Be sure to tell your doctor if you have had depression before and are considering HRT.
- Intravenous ketamine: The anesthetic agent ketamine has been approved for treatment of severe depression. It has been shown in preliminary studies to produce a rapid (within hours) improvement in depression for and is recognized as effective in some patients.
- Riluzole: (Relutek,Tiglutik) This medicine, originally used to treat motor neuron disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease), has been shown also to affect neurotransmitters involved in depression, and in early studies has begun to show promise in treating depression that is unresponsive to more traditional medicines.
Even when treatment such as ECT, TMS, vagus nerve stimulation, or other alternative therapies is successful, depression can return. Psychotherapy and/or maintenance antidepressant medication can help prevent depression from coming back. Psychotherapy does this by correcting the beliefs, perceptions, and behaviors that contribute to your depression. If you do experience recurring symptoms, don't hesitate to seek help again.
The outlook for depressed people who seek treatment is very promising. By working with a qualified and experienced mental health care professional, you can regain control of your life.