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Author: Professor Edward Shorter Professor David Healy
ISBN : 081355425X
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Download electronic versions of selected books Free Download Shock Therapy: A History of Electroconvulsive Treatment in Mental Illness [Paperback] from 4shared, mediafire, hotfile, and mirror link
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 public image, not least due to films such as the classic One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, where the 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 convulsive therapy as a dangerous and inhumane practice is fuelled 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 public debates, but for the nearly half of all clinically depressed patients who do not respond to drugs, this book brings much needed hope.
Books with free ebook downloads available Free Download Shock Therapy: A History of Electroconvulsive Treatment in Mental Illness [Paperback]
- Paperback: 398 pages
- Publisher: Rutgers University Press; First Paperback Edition edition (December 21, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 081355425X
- ISBN-13: 978-0813554259
- Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Free Download Shock Therapy: A History of Electroconvulsive Treatment in Mental Illness
In this book, the Edward Shorter and David Healy claim that, "it is not our goal to establish whether ECT causes memory problems beyond the relatively short-term difficulties that everyone agrees can arise for some people immediately after treatment." (p. 214)
The statement is typical of the shallow and disingenuous character of the book. To claim that it's not your goal to establish whether ECT causes memory problems, i.e., to imply that you are taking a "neutral" stance, and then proceed to argue only one side of the debate - this is the stuff of clever editorials, not legitimate historical analysis.
Psychiatry has always pursued a Don't Look, Don't Tell policy when it comes to shock treatment. For example, the American Psychiatric Association's 1990 task force report on ECT cited one 1986 study, by Freeman and Kendell, in claiming, "A small minority of patients, however, report persistent deficits." Compare this with what Freeman and Kendall actually wrote: "We were surprised by the large number who complained of memory impairment. Many of them did so spontaneously without being prompted, and a striking 30% felt that their memory had been permanently affected."
Shorter and Healy ignore this pattern and instead adopt it. They misrepresent the shock literature, leave out important studies, and completely avoid important issues, including the almost universal relapse of patients following shock, psychiatry's refusal to conduct proper studies of shock's effects, and the fact that, while patients in community settings are commonly shocked at electrical doses grossly in excess of the American Psychiatric Association recommended guidelines, researchers never employ such levels.
This is a credulous and poorly researched paean to shock treatment.
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