Hello, is it me you’re looking for... (Great song)
Anyways, today I want to talk about electroshock therapy, so get ready to listen. Electroconvulsive therapy was introduced by two Italian neurophychiatrists in 1938 to treat Severe Depression, but also Mania and Catatonia. It is only to be used in extreme cases when all other treatments, such as medication and psychotherapy, have proven to be ineffective. In the novel One Who Flew Over The Cuckoo Nest, electroconvulsive therapy has been used on multiple patients, most of whom became part of the "Chronicles" clique after. McMurphy, along with most Acutes, view this treatment as a potential punishment for disobeying Miss Ratched. Currently, electro convulsion therapy is legal in Canada, with the consent of the patient having the treatment.
After McMurphy found out that Miss Ratched have to authority to decide who will and will not receive electro convulsion therapy, he, the leader of this potential rebellion towards Big Nurse, calms his efforts to overthrow her due to this frightful way of punishment. After Chief Bromden has this treatment, he begins to fall victim to what he describes as "the fog", seeing the door to the Shock Shop whenever he becomes lost in the fog. For months he is haunted by images of the steel door, with rivets that resemble eyes, possible because the therapy destroyed part of his long-term memory.
I personally disagree with the idea of electro convulsion therapy, simply because of the results it produces. The body runs a small amount of electrical energy already, so to overload extremely sensitive area (the brain) in my opinion is insane. Defibrillators use electricity to restart the body by sending a current through the heart, so to send a current through a living person's brain would be torturous, no matter what their condition may be. In the novel Mr. Taber was given electro convulsion therapy because he asked what medication he was taking. Big Nurse then sends him to electro convulsion therapy, where after he is considered docile and is a success in the eyes of the hospital, but at what cost to the patient.
In conclusion, if you've made it this far in my blog, good for you. Give yourself a pat on the back and high-five whoever is beside you. If we as a society continue to use the barbaric approach of electro convulsion therapy, with our without consent, we may only make or situations worse. What do you think? Should electro convulsion therapy continue to be legal? Do you believe it is an effective way to deal with issues of depression and catatonia?
I agree completely with you in the fact that electroshock therapy should be legal. As far as im concerned electroshock therapy is attempted man slaughter. Just based of the stats alone, the human body is was never designed for that kind of power to flow or travel to through it. The human body uses every little power producing only about ten to a hundred millivolts at only milliamps and the brain using about twenty watts, with 600 milliamps cross the heart being fatal and human flesh deteriorating at a thousand volts. Electroshock therapy uses between eight hundred and thousand volts and 800 watts! I don’t know about you but no thanks. Its hard to believe this is still considered even remotely beneficial to ones health. Doctors have their theories like neurotransmitter, anticonvulsant, neuroendocrine, and the only one I agree with brain damage. The theory of brain damages basically states that in killing brain cells destroys memories and brain functions showing the signs or the illusion of a cure. In realty just creates a brain dead or “vegetable” not something I want to be, even if I was depressed! And for the pain, speaking from personal experience its hurts like a “S.O.B” the most I’ve ever been hit by is 600v and that was just a small spark jump that put my arm out of commission for the day, I wouldn’t even imagine what a thousand volts to the head feels like. I guess you could compare it to having up to four defibrillators all firing at once on your head. So in conclusion yes I agree with you why it still being used or for that fact even legal, its like saying that lobotomies are still a useful way of curing somebody or if you have cancer the whole infected body part has to be removed. Electroshock therapy is barbaric!
ReplyDeleteHmm.. it's interesting that electroshock therapy is legal in Canada. To answer your question of if it should be legal, I'm going to go ahead and say yes that it should be. I believe that regardless of how much a particular treatment causes a negative (or positive) impact on one's body, it should be your decision and your decision alone. It can be a useful treatment in the combating major depression, which is a good thing. It can also treat people that have bipolar disorder, suicidal tendencies, and schizophrenia. So yes, there are some existing illnesses that are legitimate and may need such drastic treatment. However, 1) we shouldn't be able to make major decisions on behalf of others without their consent, unless they are unable to do so, and 2) it shouldn't be our responsibility to bare the costs. One should know beforehand ALL of the side-effects of it, though. And without their consent, I see it as unmoral and unjustifable to do such an act.
ReplyDeleteIn those days, this would probably be an unconventional stance to take, seeing as though a large part of the population likely supported electroshock therapy on mentally ill patients. Ken Kesey believed strongly in free will and was trying to illustrate why others should not make significant, medical decisions for others. Which is ironic, since he once volunteered for a similar program where he experienced such medical treatment. So perhaps he is more qualified than us when it comes to this topic, as he's experienced first hand how it has affected him.
Tyler - thanks for the background info on EST (remember to reference this information though...). Great connection between a defibrillator and EST - I never thought of it being so severe.
ReplyDeleteBrett - thanks for a scientific explanation (ie: watts). It makes sense that doctors would have thought EST works because in fact, their are destroying brain tissue so of course a person's emotions and reactions will change. Is EST still legal or even used anymore? I thought it was declared inhumane... further research needed...
Geoff - thanks for showing the other side of the argument. In terms of general society in the 1960s, I;m not sure if they even knew about those forms of treatment or about mentally ill individuals. Due to the fact that people were often institutionalized, the general public did not have many opportunities to see them. Only those who knew a person before he went in would have. Most of the stories about mentally ill people would have been exaggerated like the rumours about African Americans during slavery.