Which of the following clients most likely faces the highest risk of experiencing adverse effects of ECT?
A) A man who has diagnoses of depression and poorly controlled hypertension and who experienced a myocardial infarction 3 months ago
B) A woman who has been admitted to the hospital after a suicide attempt and who has type I diabetes mellitus
C) A man who has schizophrenia, who is an intravenous user of heroin and cocaine, and who smokes marijuana on a daily basis
D) A morbidly obese woman whose depression has been treated with a sustained serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) for the past several months
Question 2
A client with a diagnosis of depression has not seen her mood and affect improve with the use of antidepressants, and the worsening of her symptoms has prompted her physician to order ECT.
Which of the nurse's following teaching points about the procedure is most accurate?
A) Most people who are depressed experience a permanent improvement in their mood after their first treatment.
B) The permanent memory loss associated with ECT is a small price to pay for curing your depression.
C) You will probably not be able to use antidepressant medications for several months after the treatment, but they will likely be unnecessary.
D) Even though the exact way that ECT helps depression isn't known, the therapy has been shown to be safe and effective.