Charlie, I'm well aware of what a palliadotomy is. Comparing one to electric shock treatments is like comparing heart surgery to the pre-cordial thump. Let's just say that if it was my only option I'd consider it. Hopefully, they'll come up with alternatives before that time arrives. Greg 47/35/35 CHARLIE WROTE: > Dawrin and Greg > > Thanks for the testimonial Darwin, > > Having retired 3 years ago from the practice of psychiatry I can also speak > to the effectiveness of ECT for serious mental illness especially > depression. I did not perform the procedure but did refer a number of > people to colleagues to have it done. It can be lifesaving. But I also > have seen it and at one time- prior to seeing what it could do for selected > patients- opposed it. I don't any more because of its proven effectiveness. > In spite of how it appears Greg, it works for depression- and sometimes for > PD and PD induced depressions. What do you think of drilling holes in ones > head and destroying a part of the brain with a cautery a permanent > destruction of brain tissue? That is called a pallidotomy. > > Charlie > > > ----- Original Message -----From: Hawkins, Darwin <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Friday, January 14, 2000 12:17 PM > Subject: Re: Electric Shock Treatments > > > > Yes, I have seen it and my family has personally benefited from the > > treatment. It certainly does appear awful! Movie films from the early > mental > > health days are terrible to watch, but we have come a long way from those > > initial experiments. > > > > My wife had two nervous breakdowns (three months confinement each time) > > precipitated by post partum depression. The EST (it was called Electro > > Convulsive Therapy back then) plus Insulin Shock Therapy brought her back > to > > the real world. She still is and will always be an Acute Undifferentiated > > Schizophrenic, but that can be controlled by medication (if you can get > the > > patient to stay on it). Yes, EST does look awful to an observer as the > > treatment used to be administered, but it was not awful to the patient > since > > they were immediately rendered unconscious with no pain. In the present > day > > procedures, muscle relaxants are given to prevent the convulsions, a > > mouthpiece is inserted just in case to prevent broken teeth, and the > patient > > is sedated before the procedure begins. The only slight drawback I have > > observed is about a one day loss of short term memory (never to be > > regained). Long term memory starts returning in about 2 hours and is fully > > back the next day. I would imagine there are lots of medical procedures > > that we would never allow to be performed if we had already observed or > knew > > what takes place in the operating or treatment room. Sometimes ignorance > is > > bliss. > > > > These therapies allowed us to practically empty our mental hospitals and > > asylums many years ago. It is sad that the result over time has been a lot > > of homeless people on the streets because of no system in place to assure > > that they keep taking their medications and because of the civil rights > and > > other legalities now controlling society. We have no way of bringing these > > suffering people back to a normal life. It is sad that EST developed the > > uninformed stigma that it now has. It is also sad that someone with a > > serious mental health problem usually cannot recognize their plight > because > > their world is real to them and the rest of the world is wrong. It is > > extremely difficult to get someone to believe what you are saying and > > observing regardless of how they are perceiving the world about them. > > > > I like to thing of EST as a "reboot" of the "computer" in our head to > > restore corrupted and lost files and applications. > > > > Just one man's opinion based on actual experience and facts. This is much > > more than I ever wanted to say about our personal life, but I thought it > > important to give another perspective to this discussion. > > > > > ---------- > > > From: Greg Sterling[SMTP:[log in to unmask]] > > > Subject: Re: Electric shock treatmenets > > > > > > Have you ever seen anyone receive electric shock therapy? It's awful. > No > > > thanks. > > > > > > Greg > > > > > > >** --------- End Original Message ----------- ** >