Shock treatment, or electroconvulsive therapy, has been in use for over 60 years to treat brain-based disorders such as depression, catatonia, mania and schizophrenia. The University Hospital in New Jersey states that the ECT procedure is painless because the patient is under general anesthesia. The electric shocks create small seizures in the brain which cause biological brain changes. ECT has changed drastically in recent years and is a relatively safe procedure today. As with any treatment, patients may experience side effects, and you should discuss the pros and cons of ECT treatment with your doctor.
Short-Term Memory Loss
After electroconvulsive therapy, patients may have trouble remembering recent items they have heard, learned or read. This short-term memory loss is temporary and usually does not last for more than a week or two after the electroconvulsive therapy. If appropriate, sometimes ECT is only performed on one side of the brain, which seems to lesson memory issues. Within one month of receiving ECT, most patients' memories have returned to normal.
Retrograde Amnesia
Patients can also experience memory loss of older events, a condition called retrograde amnesia. According to the Mayo Clinic, for most patients, retrograde amnesia affects memories of the most recent weeks or months leading up to treatment. Some people may have trouble recalling memories from several years before the electroconvulsive therapy. This memory loss is also usually temporary, although some patients do suffer from permanent memory loss.
Cognitive Impairment
In the minutes and hours immediately after electroconvulsive therapy, patients may be confused and disoriented. This cognitive impairment may last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. However, the more often a patient receives ECT treatments, the longer it may take the patient to recover and the longer this cognitive impairment may last.
Physical Side Effects
Physical side effects are commonly experienced immediately after electroconvulsive therapy. These physical side effects are similar to side effects experienced during other procedures that require general anesthesia. Common physical effects are nausea, vomiting, headache, muscle ache or jaw pain. Medications are available to lesson the severity of any possible physical effects of ECT.
