Electroshock: Healing Mental Illness

by Max Fink

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), despite its controversial history, may well represent the only viable treatment for severe psychiatric illness in those for whom medication is not an option. In Electronconvulsive Therapy, Dr. Max Fink draws on over 50 years of clinical experience to describe this safe, painless, and often life-saving treatment. Extensively revised and restructured since its original publication a decade ago, the book provides readers with a detailed explanation of the ECT procedure, helping them to better understand and prepare for treatment. Discussions of the mechanisms of actions have been updated and sections have been added on the use of ECT in pediatric populations and to treat movement disorders such as Parkinsons. Case studies of ECT patients illustrate its often dramatic success in relieving depression, mania, catatonia, and psychosis. Clarifying the many misconceptions surrounding the treatment, Dr. Fink reveals how anesthesia and muscle relaxation techniques reduce discomfort and risks to levels lower than those associated with psychiatric drugs. He then provides a historical perspective of the treatment, from the discovery of ECT and its widespread use beginning in the 1930s, to the 1950s when it was replaced by psychotropic drugs, to its revival in the last 30 years as a viable psychiatric treatment. Dr. Fink concludes with a straightforward discussion of the ethical issues surrounding ECT use, and on its similarities to and differences from other modern brain stimulation techniques. The classic text on the subject, written by a renowned researcher and physician, Electroconvulsive Therapy is an excellent resource for patients, their families, and mental health professionals.

Genres: Health

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Maximilian Fink was an American neurologist and psychiatrist best known for his work on ECT (electroconvulsive therapy). His early work also included studies on the effect of psychoactive drugs on brain electrical activity; his later work included books about the syndromes of catatonia and melancholia, published in the 2010s.

Reviews

[Eva Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a peculiar little book. I happened to be browsing through the stacks at the local public library, and came across it. The title caught my eye, and then I saw it was authored by a psychiatrist with whose work I am familiar in the area of catatonia. I did not expect to find a book on this topic written by a well-known professor of psychiatry tucked away amongst the more popular titles.

My confusion only grew when I actually read the book today, as I cannot figure out who the possible intended audience can possibly be. The beginnning chapters are like Electroconvulsive Therapy 101, as if written for someone who finds the entire subject unfamiliar and wants to know details down to how inpatients are asked to not eat anything the night before treatment, take their meds with a sip of water, empty their bladders, and wear a hospital gown. The amount of basic procedural detail would be too simplistic for most medical students, and yet I can't imagine a layperson interested in ECT would want to read it, either.

After that, the book is broken down into chapters on the which types of patients- dianosed with which disorders- the author has seen benefit from ECT. This part was what had actually made me decide actually check out the book in the first place, since it had a lot of case histories. However, in contrast to the first part, the case histories were written in a very terse academic medical style, which was great for me, but which I really don't think most readers at the Albuquerque Public Library are going to wade through.

Finally, he tacks on some chapters having to do with the history of ECT, the antipscyhiatry movement, and the current state of ECT in the US as of his date of writing (in 1999)- which states restrict its use, what the restrictions are, where they were at in terms of funding and research and public perception. This part was probably as much of historical value as anything else, particularly the funding & research sections.

The defensive tone with which he discusses the anti-psychiatry movement and misperceptions of ECT by the media and public are justified, as these issues continue today, but really didn't flow with the rest of the book at all.

Anyway, it was an odd little book, lost on the shelves of the San Pedro branch library, probably never checked out since it was donated by some psychiatrist going into retirement. I don't necessarily not recommend it, but yet, I would have no idea exactly to whom I should recommend it. Weird.