Peer Review Audience

Enclosed I will discuss the comparison and contrasting views of two websites regarding Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and how it is utilized in the present day. Electroconvulsive therapy is a treatment that involves applying a brief electrical conduction to areas of the brain while the patient is under anesthesia.

The first website I located was www.psychiatry.org and it goes into detail what ECT is and how it is utilized in the treatment of major depressive disorders. Clinical evidence indicates that for individuals with uncomplicated, but severe major depression, ECT will produce substantial improvement in approximately 80% of patients. (APS, 2019). This website explains the use of ECT in other severe mental illnesses as well including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Another condition that ECT is used for includes the state of catatonia, which is described as a state in which the person can become unresponsive or very agitated, often becoming a severe threat to themselves or become very sick due to no oral intake of food or water possibly leading to malnutrition and/or dehydration. According to this website, ECT is a last resort type of treatment due to its extensive and risky administration process in which the patient is anesthetized, which in itself is a risk. It is often put in place when the patient has not seen progression with psychotherapy or medications. This website was thorough and direct on what ECT is and how its delivered to patients

The second website I referred to was the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine , www.mdedge.com and it offered a more in depth look at ECT and its controversial highlights. This website explains how the procedure is generally safe and patients will need pre-op testing prior to getting the treatment. Although first used in schizophrenic patients it is more widely used in other mental health disorders now. The article explains how ECT gets a bad reputation due to its history and misuse (this article goes into depth of the specific tortures noted in years past and also the lack of medical intervention and anesthesia available at the time). Information was also available about new treatments on the horizon to better treat long-term psychiatric disorders and provide neuromodulator techniques., including vagus nerve and deep brain stimulation, and transcranial magnetic brain stimulation.

Between these two websites the information was plentiful, but each website offered different views of ECT. While the basics of the therapy were addressed, www.psychiatry.com provided just the overview of what ECT is and how it is utilized. The second website, www.mdedge.com took a more alternative approach and offered more in-depth information on ECT including its history, more present uses, and future goals of ECT and related treatment modalities that could possibly take its place.