DanielleKinter

SeniorEnglish
Period3
17March2016

TherapyfortheMentallyIllinthe1900s
Depression(beingamentalillnessdisorder)wasoncetreatedwithelectroshockthankfully
electroshockhasbeenreplacedbypsychiatry.ElectroconvulsiveTherapywasbannedinthe1970s
duetotheharshandcruelconditions.Electroshocktherapyiswhenasmallelectricalcurrentsarebeing
pulsedthroughthehumanbodycausingseizuresandforgetfulness.Haveyoueverbeenshocked?Ihave
anditisntapleasantfeeling.Justthinkaboutit,peoplewhohadmentaldisordersintheearly1900s
hadtogothroughthepainofelectrocution.Mentaldisorderssuchasdepressionwaslookeddown
upon.ElectroconvulsiveTherapywasusedwithintheasylums.Thereweremanytherapiesbut
electroshockwasthemostinhumane.Psychiatrynowadaysisusedforsomanydifferentmentalillnesses
anditworksmuchmoreefficientlythanElectroshocktherapyevercould.So,asIhavepreviously
stated:ElectroshockTherapyisaninhumanetreatmentthat(forgoodreasons)hasbeenreplacedby
psychiatry.
ElectroshockTherapyisaninhumaneformoftherapy.Electroshockisinfactaformofhuman
torture.Depressionisanillnessthatcausesfeelingsofsadnessandlossofinterestthatlastformany
days(UXLEncyclopediaofScience).Depressionisthemostcommonmentalillnessnowdays.No
oneknowsthefundamentalcauseofmajordepression(UXLEncyclopediaofScience).Scientisthave
noexplanationfordepression.Mooddisorders,whicharementaldisordersthatmainlyinvolve

disturbancesofmood(UXLEncyclopediaofScience).Mentaldisordersarenolongerunheardofas
theyoncewere.Themostcommonlyknowntreatmentformentalillnessinthe1900swaselectroshock
therapy.Now,greatfuly,ithasbeenbannedintheUnitedStates.Yetsofar,wehavenotmanagedtoget
itbannedthroughouttheentireearthsadly.
ElectroconvulsiveTherapy,beingthetreatmentformentaldisorders,isnolongerusedinthe
UnitedStates.Aroundthe1960sthrough1970sElectroshocktherapywasbanned.Inthe1940s
therewerefewtreatmentsavailableformentalillness(AmericanDecades).Scientistsbelievedthatthe
electrodestamperedwiththechemicalsinthehumanbraincreatingchangesinbrainwaves.One
regimen,calledshocktherapy,involvedtheuseofdrugsorelectricitytotreatseverementaldisorders
byincludingcomaorconvulsions(AmericanDecades).Thepatients,beingtreated,hadtogothrough
whatlookedlikeseizures.Electroshocktherapymostlyaffectedschizophrenicswithpositiveresults.
Schizophreniaisamentaldisorderconsistingofmultiplepersonalitydisorder.Thedoctors(asIhave
previouslystated)inducedcomaorconvulsionwhiletreatingapatient.Sometimesthepatientwould
forgeteverything,includingtheirownnameforuptotwomonthsifthetreatmentwasheavyenough.
Electroconvulsivetherapyisdangerousandwrong,itwasbannedintheU.S.forareasonandshouldbe
bannedeverywhere.
Electroshocktherapyisstillusedintheworld.Althoughelectroshocktherapyisnolongerused
intheU.S.doesntmeanitisnolongerusedinanymeans.Electroshockwasoneofanumberof
antagonisttherapiesintroducedintheearlypartofthetwentiethcentury(ScienceandItsTime).An
antagonistisapersonwhoactivelyopposesorishostiletosomeoneorsomething.Basedonabelief
thatepilepsyandschizophrenicdisordershadoppositeeffectsonhumanbrainanatomy(Scienceand
ItsTime).Schizophrenicpeoplehadtogothroughshocktreatmentsjustasanyothermentallyillpatient.

Anumberofphysicianstriedtorelievethesymptomsofseriousmentalillnessesbyinducing
convulsions,firstbychemicalmeansandthenbypassingacurrentthroughthebrain(ScienceandIts
Time).Theproceduresforshocktherapyisandwasneverright.Thedismissalofshocktherapywould
domoregoodfortheworldthanharm.
IntheUnitedStates,specialistshavereplacedelectroshocktherapywiththestudyand
treatmentofpsychiatryDoctorsandspecialistsusethetreatmentsontheirpatientswithouttheuseof
painormorbidevents.Psychiatryisthebranchofmedicineconcernedwiththestudy,diagnosisand
treatmentofmentalillness(UXLEncyclopediaofScience).Psychiatryhasdonealotofgoodforthe
world.Psychiatriststreatmanydifferentkindsofdisorders,someofwhicharenotmentaldisordersat
all(UXLEncyclopediaofScience).Nomatterwhatisgoingthroughahuman'shead,apsychiatristhas
abetterchanceofhelpingyouthanelectroshocktherapydoes.Conditionstheytreatincludeaddiction,
depression,mentalandsocialproblems,sexualdysfuntion,schizophrenia,mooddisorders,personality
disorder,andposttraumaticstressdisorders(UXLEncyclopediaofScience).AsIpreviouslystated,
manydisordersaretreatedthroughthetreatmentofpsychiatry.Psychiatryhascuredmanypeopleand
canstillformanyyearstogo.
Inconclusion,thebanofelectroshocktherapyintheunitedstateshasdonegood,butindeedit
shouldbebannedallacrosstheworld.Ifthereisntachangeintheworldthepeoplewillcontinuetobe
abusedastheyhavebeeninyearspast.Allacrosstheworld,mentaldisordersarelookeddownupon.
TheworldstherapyformentaldisorderswasElectroshockTherapy.Throughoutalltreatmentsfor
mentaldisorders,electroshocktherapyisthemostinhumane.Psychiatry,itshouldbeusedallacrossthe
world,throughoutallsevenseasandavast.Depressionwasoncetreatedbyshockingthehumanbrain
andthankfullypsychiatrywascreatedasanalternativetreatment.Themindfloodsuswithjustifications

andthoughtsthatgiverisetoourmentaltorture,thesametorturethatkeepsusawayfromrealityand
thepresentmoment(AlejandraLlamas).

WorkCited
"Depression."UXLEncyclopediaofScience.Ed.AmyHackneyBlackwellandElizabethManar.3rd
ed.FarmingtonHills,MI:UXL,2015.StudentResourcesinContext.Web.18Mar.2016.

"ElectroconvulsiveTherapy."AmericanDecades.Ed.JudithS.Baughman,etal.Vol.5:19401949.
Detroit:Gale,2001.StudentResourcesinContext.Web.18Mar.2016.

"IntroductionofElectroshockTherapy."ScienceandItsTimes.Ed.NeilSchlagerandJoshLauer.Vol.
6.Detroit:Gale,2001.StudentResourcesinContext.Web.18Mar.2016.

"Psychiatry."UXLEncyclopediaofScience.Ed.AmyHackneyBlackwellandElizabethManar.3rd
ed.FarmingtonHills,MI:UXL,2015.StudentResourcesinContext.Web.18Mar.2016.