Electroconvulsive Therapy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

1. Elect roconvulsive Therapy in...
By: Gabriella J ef f rey

2. ECT
The psychology term connected to this movie
is Electroconvulsive therapy. It is a
procedure, done under general anesthesia,
in which small electric currents are passed
through the brain, intentionally triggering a
brief seizure. ECT is traditionally used to
help patients with severe depression.

3. Hist ory of ECT

In 1937, Ugo Cerletti, a epilepsy
specialist, decided shock induced
seizures would be good for treating
Schizophrenia.

After testing on animals, he moved
to actual patients. They had no
memory of the procedures, so they
liked it more than metrazol.

Popularity of this therapy went down
in the 60s and 70s.

4. ECT back t hen vs t oday
Back then

Given no relaxants

Patients were fully
awake for procedure

Often broke bones
Today

Patients are given
muscle relaxants
and an anesthetic

Given shocks while
unconscious

5. 
One flew over the
cuckoo's nest was
originally a book written
by 1962 novel written by
Ken Casey.

He wrote based on his
trip to the Oregon mental
institute. Therefore, the
movie is based on a real
institute and real
behaviors of nurses.
Book

6. Movie summary
One flew over the cuckoo's nest. Randle
McMurphy (played by Jack Nicholson) was
sentenced to prison (again) and instead faked
being insane. He was then sent to a mental
institution, which he believed would be better
than prison but he was wrong. The place was
run by a terrible nurse named Nurse Ratched,
and she treated all of the patients horribly,
punishing them using ECT.

7. Connect ion: ECT in t he movie
The horrible nurse Ratched used ECT as
punishment in her institution. McMurphy and
two others were then given this treatment
when they got in trouble. He didn't even have
an illness!

8. My opinion
Electroconvulsive therapy sounds
absolutely terrifying. This movie is
great forshowing how it was in the
past as well as the equipment used.
This is a last resort procedure foran
ill patient when no othertype of
medicine is working, and the fact that
she used it on themas punishment! It
had a realistic interpretation of life in
an institution and what ECT is and
how it is used.

9. Ref erences

https://psybites.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nes

http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n04/historia/shock_i.htm#cerletti

http://www.electroboy.com/electroshocktherapy.htm

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/psychologist-the-movies/201205/mental-h

10. Ref erences

https://psybites.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nes

http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n04/historia/shock_i.htm#cerletti

http://www.electroboy.com/electroshocktherapy.htm

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/psychologist-the-movies/201205/mental-h