What Is Shock Therapy?

It is a form of psychiatric treatment in which electric current, insulin, carbon dioxide and  indooklon is administered to the patient and results in a loss of consciousness or a convulsive or comatose reaction to alter favourably the course of illness.  

There are three types of shocks used in psychiatry.

1. Insulin shock.
2. Metrazole shock.
3. Electroconvulsive shock.

Insulin Shock

This is known as 'Insulin Coma Therapy'. When insulin is injected into the body, the glucose is burnt up rapidly leading to hypoglycemia. The brain cells are deprived of their essential food and become unable to function properly. This type of shock has been used extensively for many years but the extent of its use has reduced in recent years due to its possible hazards.

Metrazole Shock

In 1935, Von Meduna reported a treatment for Schizophrenia patients with artificially induced epileptic convulsions, by means of a drug Pentylenetetrazole (Metrazole). This drug was used to produce convulsions for a short period, and was soon replaced by electro convulsive therapy.

Electroconvulsive Therapy

It is a form of shock therapy, in which a measured amount of current is passed through the patient's brain in order to produce therapeutic convulsions. The patient first goes into a tonic phase lasting for a few seconds, followed by clonic convulsions. Electroconvulsive therapy has a bad reputation. It is believed that it causes harm to the brain and once it has been administered, the other medicines do not work. This is absolutely wrong. It is painless and is generally a very safe procedure. It is given to those patients who do not respond to drug treatment. After the administration of electroconvulsive therapy, they start responding to drugs.

Shock therapy is a mode of treatment used on patients with mental disorders of different types. The disorders could be anything, ranging from schizophrenia to violent psychosis to depression. Shock therapy involves wiring up electrodes to the brain region of the patient and passing a controlled level of electric shock through the brain. The result is usually a brief spell of extreme convulsion, which is usually followed by a spell of loss of consciousness or even a coma. This dormant state is usually for a brief period and the patient usually recovers consciousness soon and finds relief from his symptoms. However, it is not as barbaric as it sounds today. Also known as electroconvulsive therapy, shock therapy is usually used on patients in combination with anesthesia, oxygen, and also various medications that help relax the muscles. Shock therapy has to be administered in repetitive dosages over a period of time spanning at least a week for it to be actually effective. The duration and interval between sessions is determined by the physician based on the severity of the ailment the patient is suffering from. The shock can be administered to either a single side of the brain or both sides, depending again on the severity of the condition of the patient.