Convulsion Therapy

Hemphill, R. E.

doi:10.1192/bjp.90.378.410

Cited by 27 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 145 publications

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“…Just as Cardiazol was being abandoned, studies by Bianchi and Chiarello, and by Cheney, showed superior results in catatonic states compared with ECT (Kalinowsky et al, 1946), suggesting that the undesirable aspects of Cardiazol -the fear and severity of fit -had therapeutic impact. As it was sometimes used to eradicate the 'faulty habits' of refractory cases (Cook, 1944), some patients may have been able to modify their behaviour to avoid further exposure. Henry Rollin reflected on Cardiazol as 'mediaeval torture' (Valentine, 1996: 80).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Harris and Birnie (1938) at West Park found positive outcomes in stuporous cases whether schizophrenic or depressive. Convulsive therapy appeared particularly valuable in involutional melancholia, as, unlike the self-remitting tendency of other depressive disorders, sufferers commonly slid into perpetual gloom (Cook, 1944). Agitated suicidal cases could be promptly and effectively treated, thus reducing the burden of close surveillance.…”

Section: The True Value Revealedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Practitioners generally saw amnesia as a merely temporary complication, and neither post-mortem examination nor studies in monkeys revealed significant destruction of nerve tissue (Cook, 1944). However, Dynes (1939) in Edinburgh observed lasting cognitive impairment correlating with treatment duration, and he opposed courses of over 20 fits.…”

Section: The Spectre Of Spinal Fracturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Insulin was thought to influence the underlying thought disorder, and courses could be repeated as maintenance therapy. Cardiazol, however, was a useful first line of attack (Cook, 1944). Freudenberg (1941) used it to produce rapid improvement in acute paranoid states, excitement or catatonic stupor, followed if necessary by insulin.…”

Section: Impact On Schizophreniamentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘A violent thunderstorm’: Cardiazol treatment in British mental hospitals

McCrae

2006

Hist Psychiatry

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In the annals of psychiatric treatment, the advent of Cardiazol therapy has been afforded merely passing mention as a stepping-stone to the development of electroconvulsive therapy. Yet in the 1930s it was the most widely used of the major somatic treatment innovations in Britain's public mental hospitals, where its relative simplicity and safety gave it preference over the elaborate and hazardous insulin coma procedure. Devised on a dubious hypothesis of biological antagonism, Cardiazol armed psychiatry with an immediately effective weapon in the battle against schizophrenia, an enduring and debilitating condition responsible for over half of the mental hospital population. What made Cardiazol work – or appear to work? This account shows how evaluation of convulsive therapy was skewed by naÔve outcome measurement and diagnostic discrepancies, and how its therapeutic indication evolved from schizophrenia to affective disorders. Psychological mechanisms are considered, with the suggestion that the intense fear experienced during treatment – the major reason for abandoning Cardiazol in favour of electroshock – was therapeutically advantageous.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The True Value Revealedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Spectre Of Spinal Fracturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Impact On Schizophreniamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

‘A violent thunderstorm’: Cardiazol treatment in British mental hospitals

McCrae

2006

Hist Psychiatry

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“…This is in contrast to earlier, m ainly psychoanalytic, theorising about the psychological impact of ECT. Psychogenic theories of ECT' s action were summ arised in a review article by Cook (1944). Earlier belief in the therapeutic effects of fear had been largely replaced by theories about the healing nature of this sym bolic death and re-birth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adverse psychological effects of ECT

Johnstone

1999

Journal of Mental Health

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Abstract:Although it is known that a proportion of people find ECT distressing to receive, these adverse psychological reactions are little understood. Twenty people who reported having found ECT upsetting were interviewed about their experiences in detail. A variety of them es emerged, including feelings of fear, shame and hum iliation, worthlessness and helplessness, and a sense of having been abused and assaulted. This had reinforced existing problems and led to distrust of psychiatric staff. Few had felt able to tell professionals of the strength of their reactions, implying a possible hidden pool of trauma. Implications for the practice of ECT are discussed.

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Visualization of a filamentous nucleoskeleton with a 23 nm axial repeat.

Jackson¹,

Cook²

1988

The EMBO Journal

198

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Whether nucleoskeletons seen after extracting cells are preparative artefacts is controversial. Using an extraction method that preserves vital nuclear functions, we have visualized part of a nucleoskeleton by electron microscopy of thick resinless sections. Cells encapsulated in agarose microbeads are lysed using Triton in a physiological buffer; the agarose coat prevents aggregation and protects fragile cell contents. These extracted cells are accessible to small molecules and transcribe and replicate at rates close to those in vivo. After electroeluting most chromatin after treatment with HaeIII, a skeleton is uncovered which ramifies throughout the nucleus. Individual filaments are approximately 10 nm wide with an axial repeat of 23 nm, characteristic of intermediate filaments.

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Convulsion Therapy

Cited by 27 publications

References 145 publications

‘A violent thunderstorm’: Cardiazol treatment in British mental hospitals

‘A violent thunderstorm’: Cardiazol treatment in British mental hospitals

Adverse psychological effects of ECT

Visualization of a filamentous nucleoskeleton with a 23 nm axial repeat.

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