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Related Experiment Video

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Pupillary Response as Assessment of Effective Seizure Induction by Electroconvulsive Therapy

Pupillary Response as Assessment of Effective Seizure Induction by Electroconvulsive Therapy

Published on: April 11, 2019

Patients who inappropriately demand electroconvulsive therapy.

Keith G Rasmussen¹, Timothy W Lineberry

¹Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. rasmussen.keith@mayo.edu

The Journal of ECT

|June 6, 2007

Summary

Some patients seek continued electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) despite clinician assessments of no benefit. This may stem from a desire for medical patient status rather than genuine clinical improvement.

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Area of Science:

Psychiatry
Neurology

Background:

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a medical treatment for severe mental disorders.
Patient adherence and perceived benefit are crucial in treatment efficacy.

Observation:

Clinicians observe that some patients persistently request continued ECT, even when objective clinical improvement is not evident.
These patient requests contrast with the treating clinicians' professional judgment regarding treatment necessity.

Findings:

Patients may continue seeking ECT due to primary or secondary gains associated with being a medical patient.
Reported benefits by some patients may not correlate with actual clinical improvement from the ECT procedure itself.

Implications:

Clinicians must consider non-clinical motivations when evaluating patient requests for continued ECT.
This awareness can prevent unnecessary administration of ECT, optimizing patient care and resource allocation.