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UPPSC 2023
Mental Health Nursing
Easy

Time duration for Electro - Convulsive Therapy as per the American Psychiatric Association (1978) is -

Appeared in: UPPSC 2023

Explanation

  • The question asks for a specific historical standard for the duration of the electrical stimulus in ECT, as set by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in 1978.
  • According to these guidelines, the standard duration for the electrical current application was between 0.7 and 1.5 seconds.
  • This stimulus duration is distinct from the therapeutic seizure duration, which is the physiological response and needs to be longer (at least 15-25 seconds) for the treatment to be effective.
  • This time frame was typical for the sine-wave ECT machines commonly used during that era.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

  • Option A: This range is slightly higher than the standard 1978 APA guideline for ECT stimulus duration.
  • Option C: This time range is significantly longer than the recommended duration and would deliver an excessive electrical charge, increasing the risk of side effects.
  • Option D: While modern ECT devices can use stimulus durations in this range (especially with brief pulse techniques), the value of 0.7-1.5 seconds was the standard for the conventional ECT referenced in the 1978 guidelines.

Related Visual

Visual explanation — Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
  • Nursing practice connection: Knowing Parameters of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
  • The nurse plays a vital role in ensuring patient safety and providing support throughout the ECT process, from pre-procedure preparation to post-procedure recovery and monitoring.
  • Key nursing responsibilities include verifying informed consent, monitoring NPO status, administering pre-procedure medications, and closely observing the patient for adverse effects like confusion, memory loss, headache, and muscle soreness after the treatment.
  • What if the patient experiences prolonged apnea after ECT? The nurse must maintain the airway, provide manual ventilation with a bag-valve-mask, and alert the anesthesiologist immediately. This could indicate a complication from the anesthetic or muscle relaxant, requiring urgent intervention.
How to Approach the Question
  • This is a factual recall question based on historical guidelines.
  • First, identify the key components of the question: 'Electro-Convulsive Therapy' (ECT), 'Time duration', and the specific authority 'American Psychiatric Association (1978)'.
  • Recognize that the question asks for a specific numerical value from a historical standard, not necessarily current practice.
  • Recall the standard stimulus duration for conventional ECT according to the 1978 guidelines.
  • Compare the recalled value with the given options to select the correct range.
Concept Tested & Keywords
  • Concept Tested: Parameters of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
  • Stem keywords: Electro - Convulsive Therapy, Time duration, American Psychiatric Association (1978)
  • Lead-in keywords: is
  • Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QKi0VJQ3a2cNfwal1Kqm5k

Reference Book

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 11188-11190

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