Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) stimulates brain cells via a brief electrical pulse to the scalp while the patient is under anesthesia. ECT is commonly used to treat patients with severe depression who have not responded to medications or who cannot tolerate medications’ side effects.

Treatments are administered three times a week with a course of ECT ranging from six to 12 treatments. The average is nine, but the doctors determine length of treatment on a case by case basis. Typically, ECT is performed by a treatment team that specializes in the therapy. The team includes a psychiatrist, anesthesiologist and nursing staff.

ECT treatments are extremely safe and medical complications are rare. Patients are monitored constantly throughout treatment.

Even if patients respond well to ECT, patients may experience relapses of depression and require a taper treatment that lasts over several weeks to months. A common course of this type of therapy is treatments once a week for a month, once every two weeks for two months, once every three weeks for two months and once every month for two to four months.

Arbour Hospital offers ECT on both an inpatient and outpatient basis.

To obtain an appoint for ECT for a client, please call 800-22-ACCES (222-2237) and give the Intake Coordinator the patient’s history and insurance information. The Director of Nursing and a medical doctor will review the patient’s medical and clinical information, and if medically necessary, an anesthesiologist is consulted. If the doctor determines the patient is a good candidate, he or she will then schedule the appointment.