Ect (Noun)
Meaning
The administration of a strong electric current that passes through the brain to induce convulsions and coma.
Classification
Nouns denoting acts or actions.
Examples
- Electroconvulsive therapy, or ect, was first introduced as a psychiatric treatment in the late 1930s for various mental disorders including major depression and bipolar disorder.
- A psychiatrist ordered that ect be administered to the catatonic patient as an extreme measure after conventional therapies failed to show improvement.
- Side effects associated with ect are headaches and muscle pain during recovery but have a history of benefiting certain difficult-to-treat psychiatric disorders.
- Modern machines are equipped with numerous safety features when giving ect including electronic regulators that modulate voltage levels to help control dosage levels and precise measurement and regulation of duration of stimulus.
- To receive ect safely requires several initial screenings such as examination for intracranial vascular masses prior to initiation of ect and all prior history of adverse effects be brought forward and known before treatments proceed.