PSYCHOLOGY AND ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY (I): HISTORICAL AND CONCEPTUAL ASPECTS

Abstract

This two-part paper exposes in a critical way the background and evidence to enable us to comprenhend the use of electroshock for different psychopathological disorders. Our aim is to find out how and why certain psychiatrists indicate this technique, some patients accept it, the health institutions endorse it, and certain scientific societies attempt to dignify it by promoting favorable attitudes among mental health professionals. The results of the literature review are presented in three areas: conceptual, historical, and scientific. Some ideas related to the use of electroshock favor the medicalization of mental health and hinder patients’ access to appropriate psychological treatments with strong empirical support, in addition to increasing stigma. Based on data that rigorously question the effectiveness and safety of “electroconvulsive therapy” (ECT), arguments are presented for a critical positioning regarding a therapeutic option that is supposedly underutilized in mental health

Keywords

• electroconvulsive therapy
• mental health
• patient acceptance of health care
• history