Shocked! [Blog #1]

This is my first AP class, so I'm a little nervous about it but I'm pretty sure I can handle it. I get that the work load will be more than what I'm used to and I am aware that this is a college level course, but I'm excited for the challenge. I love learning about how the mind works; it's so fascinating to me that we all have similarly-functioning brains, but no two minds are alike. I have always felt a need to understand certain things and the mind's inner workings is toward the top of that list.

Anyway, when I was reading the section in Chapter 1 about critical thinking, it was talking about how critical thinking has lead to really surprising findings, and an example was that electroconvulsive therapy is actually a really effective way to treat severe depression. My first thought was something along the lines of Oh my gosh that sounds like mid-evil torture...I wonder if they still do that! 

So I did some research on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and how it works. I found that it is also a treatment for acute mania and certain types of schizophrenia. About three mornings per week, a patient is given a muscle relaxer and anesthesia. Then the doctor attaches little electrodes to the patient's head and it delivers a shock that causes something like a mini seizure. The shocks are usually administered six to twelve times in one sitting.  They do this for about a month. Usually once treatment is over and the patient wakes up, they have no idea what happened right before the treatment.

There's a lot of controversy concerning this treatment (shocker!--no pun intended). Some patients have permanent memory loss and confusion, and many relapse after treatment, even with anti-depressants. But on the other hand, some patients see 80% improvement after ECT. Personally, I don't really think this is a really good idea unless you've exhausted ALL other options.

http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/treatment/electroconvulsive-therapy-ect