Overview

Electroshock therapy has long suffered from a controversial and bizarre public image, effectively removing it as a treatment option for many patients. In Electroshock, Max Fink, M.D., draws on 45 years of clinical and research experience to argue that ECT is now a safe, painless, and sometimes life-saving treatment for emotional and mental disorders. Dr. Fink traces the development of ECT from its discovery in 1934 followed by widespread use for two decades, to the 1950s when it was largely replaced by the introduction of psychotropic drugs, to its revival in the past twenty years as a viable treatment. He provides actual case studies of patients who have been treated with ECT and illustrates that many disorders--such as depression, mania, catatonia, and schizophrenia--respond well to it. As he explains the whole procedure from preparation to recovery, we see what the patient experiences. Fink also shows how anesthesia and muscle relaxation have refined ECT, minimizing discomfort and reducing risks to a level far lower than those experienced by patients using psychotropic drugs routinely prescribed for the same problems. Clarifying the many misconceptions surrounding ECT, Electroshock is an excellent sourcebook for patients, their families, and mental health professionals.

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9780195365740

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Reviews

<br>.. .The author offers the prospective patient, family member, and professional an appropriately detailed, direct and balanced discussion of technique, treatment responses, and side effects. Modern ECT methods are described in detail, replacing the movie-land macabre with reassuring well-reasoned text and clearly-explained images....this book is...held positively, and commended for clarity and thoroughness even by several who express negative views of ECT. This reviewer recommends it highly for patients, families and clinicians who seek accurate answers to common questions about ECT indications, procedures, risks, and benefits. --Ronald M. Salomon, MD, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry<br> This reviewer recommends it [Electroconvulsive Therapy] highly for patients, families, and clinicians who seek accurate answers to common questions about ECT indications, procedures, risks, and benefits. --Ronal M. Salomon, MD, Vanderbilt University School

. ..The author offers the prospective patient, family member, and professional an appropriately detailed, direct and balanced discussion of technique, treatment responses, and side effects. Modern ECT methods are described in detail, replacing the movie-land macabre with reassuring well-reasoned text and clearly-explained images....this book is...held positively, and commended for clarity and thoroughness even by several who express negative views of ECT. This reviewer recommends it highly for patients, families and clinicians who seek accurate answers to common questions about ECT indications, procedures, risks, and benefits. --Ronald M. Salomon, MD, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry This reviewer recommends it [Electroconvulsive Therapy] highly for patients, families, and clinicians who seek accurate answers to common questions about ECT indications, procedures, risks, and benefits. --Ronal M. Salomon, MD, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Journal of ClinicalPsychiatry This new edition is an instructive and readable guide to ECT for clinicians, patients, and families faced with severe, unrelenting, and disabling psychopathology. --Doody's

<br>.. .The author offers the prospective patient, family member, and professional an appropriately detailed, direct and balanced discussion of technique, treatment responses, and side effects. Modern ECT methods are described in detail, replacing the movie-land macabre with reassuring well-reasoned text and clearly-explained images....this book is...held positively, and commended for clarity and thoroughness even by several who express negative views of ECT. This reviewer recommends it highly for patients, families and clinicians who seek accurate answers to common questions about ECT indications, procedures, risks, and benefits. --Ronald M. Salomon, MD, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry<p><br> This reviewer recommends it [Electroconvulsive Therapy] highly for patients, families, and clinicians who seek accurate answers to common questions about ECT indications, procedures, risks, and benefits. --Ronal M. Salomon, MD, Vanderbilt University Sch

Author Information

Max Fink, M.D., is Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology Emeritus at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and Attending Psychiatrist at the Long Island Jewish-Hillside Hospital Medical Center. He is the author of Convulsive Therapy: Theory and Practice, Psychobiology of Convulsive Therapy, and other books. He lives in Nissequogue, New York.

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