The healing power of ECT

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) carries stigma thanks to negative portrayals in movies like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Such portrayals hide ECT's true value — and the truth about the treatment: ECT has a decades-long track record of safety, and it offers a fast-acting solution for difficult-to-treat severe depression. ECT is also effective for patients with suicidal ideation or depression with psychosis or catatonia, says Sohag Sanghani, MD. He joins Sandra Lindsay, RN, and Rob Hoell to dispel myths and misunderstandings around ECT. In Part 1 of this two-part episode, the director of the ECT service at Zucker Hillside Hospital — which was among the first few in the US to ever use ECT in 1941 — explains how ECT works, who benefits from the treatment and how it changes lives. Podcast transcript Chapters: 00:01 - Intro 01:33 - ECT patient perspective 03:36 - What is ECT? 04:49 - What happens during ECT? 06:10 - Evolution of ECT 07:11 - Who gets ECT? 08:26 - Is ECT more effective than medications? 10:20 - Continuation ECT 11:38 - ECT's impact on patients 12:34 - What makes ECT so effective? 14:48 - ECT side effects 17:56 - Life after ECT treatment More from Northwell Health: Learn about ECT from the patient's perspective. The healing power of vagus nerve stimulation