This machine shows an electroconvulsive therapy machine along with the electrode headset that would be placed on individual’s temples
This is a man who has the electrodes placed on his temples receiving electroshock therapy with a bite guard in his mouth.
This machine shows an electroconvulsive therapy machine along with the electrode headset that would be placed on individual’s temples
ELECTROSHOCK THERAPY IN CHILDREN
This machine was noted to be utilized throughout the period of 1958-1965 and would transmit a continuous wave of electrical pulses to the subject’s brain. This electric pulse to the brain would evoke multiple seizures upon people during that time period of which were thought to have an alleged mental disorder. Mental disorders during this period ranged from depression, addicts, to schizophrenics. After inducing seizures, it was believed by physicians that it would cure mentally ill children due to cognitive effects of the seizure.
Electroshock therapy has a very long history and the personal accounts of the “mentally ill” are very shocking. Specifically it is reported that approximately 600 volts of electric current were passed through the brains of these “mentally ill” children to induce grand mal seizures; broken bones, fear, and extreme pain were only the beginning to the psychological and mental abuse these children experienced. The induced seizures caused a variety of damages including hemorrhages. Additionally there was a personal account of one child, Ted Chabasinki, which described his account as horrific. Ted stated that,
“At 18, I was dragged down the hallway crying, a handkerchief stuffed in my mouth so I wouldn’t bite off my tongue. And I woke [after the shock treatment] not knowing where I was or who I was, but feeling as if I had undergone the experience of death.”
Today there have been attempts to learn for the past and reintroduce the idea of electroconvulsive therapy with a more positive connotation. Physicians and researchers are learning from the past of electroshock therapy in children, and attempted to apply a more modernized version of electroconvulsive therapy. It is reported that in today’s current society, the electroconvulsive therapy treatment is utilized for specifically those suffering from severe forms of depression. In order for individuals to utilize the electroconvulsive therapy, individuals must have failed with other forms of medication and therapy.
A personal account of a man was that was unable to respond to his name, before his first treatment with the modernized version of electroconvulsive therapy, underwent several rounds of modernized treatment. With the use of anesthesia, muscle relaxers, and a bite guard, the entire event was seen as pleasant to this man as there were no major convulsive episodes and he began noticing improvements within a few weeks. A Doctor, Wendy Ingram has spoken on the success of Electroconvulsive therapy and how individuals can make a large improvement in their mental health regarding depression in a matter of two weeks.
Sources:
“Science Museum. Brought to Life: Exploring the History of Medicine.”
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Accessed April 5, 2020. http://broughttolife.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/techniques/ect
Breeding, John. “Electroshocking Children: Why It Should Be Stopped.” Mad In America, February 11, 2014.
https://www.madinamerica.com/2014/02/electroshocking-children-stopped/.
Fields, R. Douglas. “Beyond the Cuckoo's Nest : The Quest for Why Shock Therapy Can Work.” Scientific American. Scientific American, November 27, 2017. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/beyond-the-cuckoos-nest-the-quest-for-why-shock-therapy-can-work/
“Creepy 1948 Ad for Electro-Shock Therapy.” Weird Universe. Accessed April 27, 2020. http://www.weirduniverse.net/blog/comments/electroshock_therapy.