By Mark Nowak

BryLin Behavioral Health System (BryLin) is excited about the results it is seeing in their patients who undergo electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). ECT is one of the most effective, yet least understood procedure in modern medicine. Unfortunately, this is often due to the therapy’s misrepresentation by Hollywood, along with the stigma surrounding mental illness in general. Early on, ECT was performed using very high doses without muscle relaxants or anesthesia. The result was the unsightly procedures depicted in movies like “The Snake Pit” in 1948, and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in 1975.

Fortunately, the procedures we witnessed in old movies have nothing to do with reality. The only accurate information we should glean from these older horrific depictions of ECT is that the therapy has, indeed, been around for decades. In 1978, the American Psychiatric Association ruled that ECT was both safe and effective in treating cases of severe depression and other mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Currently, ECT is administered to approximately 100,000 patients in the United States, with an overall success rate of over 80 percent.

“What many people don’t realize is that ECT is an actual medical procedure that is always performed by a qualified psychiatrist, anesthesiologist, and specially trained ECT nursing team,” says psychiatrist Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Chief Medical Officer for BryLin Behavioral Health System and Medical Director BryLin’s Center of Excellence in ECT Program. In fact, BryLin’s state-of-the art ECT department is the only Ambulatory ECT Center in Western New York.

“The number of ECT treatments that a patient might require depends upon the severity of their symptoms and how rapidly they experience improvement as a result of treatment. While many people begin to notice improvement in their symptoms after two or three treatments, full improvement may take longer,” says Dr. Gupta. However, in comparing ECT to traditional antidepressant medications, which often results in significantly delayed improvement that may take several weeks or longer, ECT is a highly effective, rapidly acting, FDA-approved treatment for those with severe depression.

According to Dr. Gupta, many patients who struggle with thoughts of self-harm find that they are unable to find an effective treatment that provides relief. Often, this leads to trying many different kinds of available medications or behavioral health programs with little or no success. Dr. Gupta emphasizes that, in such cases, “ECT can be a lifesaving option because patients typically respond positively quite rapidly, even when other treatments fail.” Another important advantage of ECT to patients is the therapy’s low cost. Because of its proven track history of success, ECT is covered by most health insurance plans, Medicaid, and Medicare.

To see if ECT is right for you, a loved one, or for your patient, please call BryLin’s Center of Excellence in ECT Program at 716-886-8200. Learn more at www.brylin.com.

Mark Nowak is the Director of Marketing of BryLin Hospital.