impulse control bipolar
There are instances when the condition of bipolar disorder patients does not improve even after pharmacological and psychotherapeutic modes of treatment. In these severe cases, patients may undergo an alternative mode of bipolar treatment called ECT or Electroconvulsive Therapy or “shock therapy”. This treatment used to have an unpleasant reputation, however, in recent years, ECT has greatly improved. It can give relief to patients with bipolar disorder who have not been helped by any other treatment.
Electroconvulsive therapy is a safe option for treatment in cases where the use of medicine would be too hazardous, like in pregnancy, or when the patient shows irreversible side effects to medicine. ECT is a highly effective treatment for severely depressive patients that manifest manic or mixed episodes. However, it is still not a primary option for treatment.
Electroconvulsive therapy as a treatment to bipolar disorder patients uses electric impulses to induce seizures in patients for therapeutic effect. The administering person may place electrodes unilaterally (on one side of the head) or bilaterally (on both sides of the head). Unilateral ECT causes little side effect if any compared to bilateral ECT but is less effective. Bifrontal ECT is an uncommon variation wherein the electrode is somewhere between unilateral and bilateral.
Most patients in UK and US that undergo ECT receive bilateral ECT. The patient hardly feels the treatment because the patient receives short-acting anesthetic medicine like methohexital, propofol, etomidate, or thiopental and a muscle relaxant such as suxamethonium before the treatment. The patient may receive atropine to inhibit salivation if needed.
However, ECT may cause side effects, including confusion, disorientation, memory loss or amnesia but these side effects usually disappear soon after this bipolar treatment is started. Bipolar disorder patients should weigh the benefits and risks of ECT with a competent doctor.
Bipolar Disorder is a lifelong illness, but it does not have to be a struggle. To learn more about bipolar treatment from someone with over 10 years of first-hand experience, please visit http://www.mybipolartreatmentblog.com.
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