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Hello all!
I am currently in the research stages of a piece of fiction, set in 1949 London, that deals with mental health issues and period treatment methods. I am struggling to find answers to a few specific questions regarding the history and logistics of ECT and catatonic schizophrenia. I would be extremely grateful if you guys could provide some answers, or signpost me to some reliable sources.
1. In patients with catatonic schizophrenia, brought on by trauma, for how long can symptoms such as stupor, catalepsy, waxy flexibility and mutism last? (most sources seem to say “can persist for days, weeks, months or longer.”) Would it be possible, within the limitations of 1940s medicine, for such a condition to persist for several years? Are there any such documented cases?
2. In this state, what might the patient experience in terms of sound, sight, thought, memory retention? Would they retain control of any physical functions, such as eye movements and blinking?
3. When treated with a course of ECT, how quickly might the patient respond? Over what sort of time frame might they recover?
4. In the history of electroconvulsive therapy, when was ECT publicly available and present in NHS hospitals in London? Did this form of treatment exist in an experimental capacity before this, perhaps in private institutions?
I have tried to find answers to these questions first, of course, and am surprised by how much I've struggled. Hope I've not just been looking in the wrong places! Thanks very much for your help!
I am currently in the research stages of a piece of fiction, set in 1949 London, that deals with mental health issues and period treatment methods. I am struggling to find answers to a few specific questions regarding the history and logistics of ECT and catatonic schizophrenia. I would be extremely grateful if you guys could provide some answers, or signpost me to some reliable sources.
1. In patients with catatonic schizophrenia, brought on by trauma, for how long can symptoms such as stupor, catalepsy, waxy flexibility and mutism last? (most sources seem to say “can persist for days, weeks, months or longer.”) Would it be possible, within the limitations of 1940s medicine, for such a condition to persist for several years? Are there any such documented cases?
2. In this state, what might the patient experience in terms of sound, sight, thought, memory retention? Would they retain control of any physical functions, such as eye movements and blinking?
3. When treated with a course of ECT, how quickly might the patient respond? Over what sort of time frame might they recover?
4. In the history of electroconvulsive therapy, when was ECT publicly available and present in NHS hospitals in London? Did this form of treatment exist in an experimental capacity before this, perhaps in private institutions?
I have tried to find answers to these questions first, of course, and am surprised by how much I've struggled. Hope I've not just been looking in the wrong places! Thanks very much for your help!