Lauren Rayner Reflection

In this article, published in the Journal of Mental Health, Lauren Rayner with the help of some of her colleagues studied the consent process of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and the side effects that resulted from the therapy. Electroconvulsive therapy is used as a way of helping individuals with certain mental illnesses like severe depression, mania, catatonia, and schizophrenia. The therapy is a process in which electric currents pass through the brain intentionally causing a seizure. The seizure then causes changes to happen within the brain that can quickly reverse the symptoms of some mental disorders. Electroconvulsive therapy has gained a very negative connotation behind it. The media portrays it as being inhumane and it leaves a

Even though they did not feel pressured to try the therapy, they still felt that they did not know enough about it. The patients didn’t feel that the amount of information they received was adequate. This was a major issue because patients had agreed to a treatment, that they didn’t know everything about. Side effects were some of the issues that patients had to deal with as a result of the therapy. The majority of the patients felt that they were aware of the policies and procedures before agreeing to electroconvulsive therapy. However, almost half of the patients did agree that there were some bad side effects. The top side effect was memory loss. Although memory loss was a side effect, it was present in half of the patients that answered the question about the side effects. More than half of the patients that left additional comments felt that the therapy was beneficial to

This type of therapy is not something that people do on an everyday basis. This therapy has risk involved, and people should not make life changing decisions when one does not have proper knowledge of the treatment. Doctors should thoroughly go through the process of the treatment for the patients. This therapy messes with the chemistry of the brain. There are possible long-term effects that people are not informed on. Having the questionnaire of the perspective of the patients is needed. The questionnaire gives people the chance to talk about their experiences resulting from the therapy. It gives prospective patients a chance to gain knowledge about someone that has experienced the therapy. Future patients have to keep in mind that everyone is different so therefore results will vary. The therapy did work for some people. Some commented that it was a life changing experience. Some people thought that it was the worst decision that they could have ever made. Personally I know that I would not have been able to do it. This therapy has side effects that were irreversible and unchangeable. I know that I could not risk losing my memory. The thought of losing my memory is a depressing situation. I would not be able to deal with the fact of me not being able to remember important things that happened in my