MEASURING stress hormones could reveal which patients are likely to suffer
longer-lasting side effects after electroconvulsive therapy, say doctors in
California.
Shock therapy is still widely used to treat depression in the US, Canada and
Britain. Many people associate it with the infamous scene in One Flew Over
the Cuckoo’s Nest in which Jack Nicholson’s character, strapped to a table,
convulses in pain during shock treatment, and some ex-patients and doctors are
strongly opposed to its use.
Nowadays, however, patients are always given anaesthetics and muscle
relaxants to prevent pain and the violent convulsions that can cause injuries.
Most psychiatrists…
