ECT is a treatment used for a small number of severe mental illnesses. It was originally developed in the 1930s and was used widely during the 1950s and 1960s for a variety of conditions. It is now clear that ECT should only be used in a smaller number of more serious conditions. ECT consists of passing an electrical current through the brain to produce an epileptic fit – hence the name, electro-convulsive.
BY SAMUEL C.D.HANU (FWACON & GCONM)
The 10th of October every year is set aside by the WHO to celebrate and draw attention to Mental Health issues and the need to direct policy maker’s attention to the appalling conditions in which suffers of mental conditions are made to live in. The results of these public awareness and other factors has culminated in the promulgation of the Mental Health Law, Act 846 of 2012. Currently, the various Legislative Instruments (LI) are being finalized and fine tuned to ensure the smooth implementation of the law. One group of key stakeholders whose very practice will ensure the successful implementation of the new law is the psychiatric nurse. Psychiatry as a branch of medicine has been neglected by successive governments in Ghana over the years and the psychiatric nurse is no exception.
