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Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or shock therapy, remains a critical biomedical intervention for severe, treatment-resistant depression. While its origins can be traced back to Hippocrates' observations that malaria-induced convulsions alleviated mental illness, modern ECT has evolved significantly from its earlier, more primitive applications. First introduced in 1938 by Ugo Cerletti and his colleagues, ECT involves inducing controlled seizures using electrical currents. In its early years,...

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Chronic Tinnitus following Electroconvulsive Therapy.

Robert L Folmer¹, Yongbing Shi, Sarah Theodoroff

¹National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, OR 97239, USA.

Case Reports in Psychiatry

|September 1, 2012

Summary

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may trigger tinnitus in some patients. This case study explores a potential link between ECT and the onset of tinnitus in a patient with a history of major depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

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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

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychiatry
Audiology

Background:

A patient with a 27-year history of treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder and major depression underwent electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
Previous treatments including psychotherapy, antidepressants, and antipsychotics were minimally effective.

Observation:

The patient received four ECT treatments targeting the right frontotemporal region.
Following the fourth ECT session, the patient reported tinnitus (ringing in the right ear).
Audiometric testing revealed a slight increase in the hearing threshold for 8000 Hz tones in the affected ear.

Findings:

The onset of tinnitus was temporally associated with the fourth ECT treatment.
It is hypothesized that the electrical stimulation during ECT triggered the tinnitus perception.
The patient's unique neurological and auditory system organization, along with her pharmacological history, may have contributed to tinnitus development.

Implications:

This case highlights a potential adverse effect of ECT, specifically tinnitus.
Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms linking ECT to tinnitus.
Clinicians should consider the possibility of tinnitus when evaluating patients undergoing ECT, especially those with pre-existing auditory or neurological conditions.