Shock Therapy A History of Electroconvulsive Treatment in Mental Illness

Author: Edward Shorter, David Healy
Title: Shock Therapy A History of Electroconvulsive Treatment in Mental Illness
Publication: University of Toronto Press, 2007

Description: Hardcover. Reviews the cultural and medical history of Electroshock therapy as a treatment for mental disorders. Very good hardcover with three-quarters paper on boards with fabric on spine with metallic blue letters. DJ has minor scuffing from shelf wear. Tight binding and free of marks or underlining. Notes. Index. 382 pp. Like new / Very good.

Publisher's blurb from dust jacket flap, "Shock therapy is making a comeback today in the treatment of serious mental illness. Despite its reemergence as a safe and effective psychiatric tool, however, it continues to be shrouded by a longstanding negative pubic image, not least due to films such as the classic One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, where an inmate of a psychiatric clinic (played by Jack Nicholson) is subjected to electro-shock to curb his rebellious behavior. Beyond its vilification in popular culture, the stereotype of convulse therapy as a dangerous and inhumane practice is fueled by professional posturing and public misinformation.

Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, has in the last thirty years been considered a method of last resort in the treatment of debilitating depression, suicidal ideation, and other forms of mental illness. Yet, ironically, its effectiveness in treating these patients would suggest it as a frontline therapy, bringing relief from acute symptoms and saving lives. In this book, Edward Shorter and David Healy trace the controversial history of ECT and other "shock" therapies. Drawing on case studies, public debates, extensive interviews, and archival research, the authors expose the myths about ECT that have proliferated over the years.

By showing ECT's often life-saving results, Shorter and Healy endorse a point of view that is hotly contested in professional circles and in pubic debates, but for the nearly half of all clinically depressed patients who do not respond to drugs, this book brings much needed hope.

Seller ID: 2106

Subject: Medicine, Psychology