Setting up an electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) Department in the Psychiatric Hospital “Dr. GH. Preda” of Sibiu

Abstract

Electroconvulsive therapy has a long history, with periods of approval and of contradiction. The electroconvulsive therapy department in our hospital has a long tradition: it was initiated in 1940 and used for a period of five decades, after which it was abandoned due to several reasons. Starting with the year 2019, it was desired to create a new ECT department that corresponds to the new modern requirements of ECT’s application (under anesthesia). This department was built according to the Portuguese model of the ECT department with the main purpose to increase the accessibility of psychiatric patients to this type of treatment, to decrease the number of hospitalization days for the patients with severe psychiatric disorders and also to train new professionals in this field. Although many clinical studies have shown their effectiveness in treating psychiatric pathology due to preconception and stigmatization, nowadays this treatment is still seen with great reluctance.