With the development of modern technology, some instruments have started to be used for the treatment of depression. Physiotherapy is one of the more advanced clinical treatments for depression, mainly used for patients with refractory depression, which can help patients control their condition in a short time and reduce the damage caused by depression. However, physical therapy also has certain side effects, and its application is far from the wide range of drugs and psychotherapy, so patients need to consider when choosing depression treatment methods.
So, what are the common physical therapy methods for depression?
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
ECT is a safe and effective treatment for medication-refractory depression, especially for those patients with major depression who are suicidal or who have failed to respond to medications and other treatments.
ECT treatment involves the patient falling fast asleep under general anesthesia and then the doctor treats the depression by giving the patient a short period of electrical stimulation with a small current that causes a controlled brief loss of consciousness with or without convulsions, affecting brain areas that control emotions. The procedure may sound intimidating, but during the treatment, the patient has fallen asleep after receiving anesthetics and muscle relaxants and does not feel any pain.
ECT tends to be fast-acting and effective, with approximately 70-90% of patients treated with ECT showing improvement in symptoms. The most common side effect is transient memory loss.
The typical course of ECT for depression is 4-6 sessions, with some people requiring more weeks and more sessions, and some patients needing longer sessions to prevent a relapse of depression.
Who is ECT for?
According to the recommendations of the American Psychiatric Association, ECT may be safe and beneficial in the following situations.
1. Need for rapid onset of action, such as in pregnancy
2. When the patient is on a hunger strike resulting in malnutrition
3.Resistance to antidepressant treatment
4, suffering from other diseases need to avoid the application of antidepressants
5.Tension stiffness
6.With psychotic symptoms
7.Bipolar disorder, including mania and depression
8, mania
9, with a serious risk of suicide
10, previous application of ECT treatment is effective
11.Psychotic depression or mania
12.Severe depression
13.Schizophrenia