Understanding Electroconvulsive Therapy and Finding Leading ECT Providers

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is a medical treatment that is often misunderstood but has proven to be highly effective for certain mental health conditions. This article aims to clarify what ECT is, where to find ECT providers near you, and to highlight the availability of ECT therapy in Cincinnati and Ohio.

What is ECT?

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric treatment where seizures are electrically induced in patients to provide relief from mental health disorders. It is typically used when other treatments, such as medications and psychotherapy, have not been successful. ECT has been found to be particularly effective for severe depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

Read some FAQs on ECT from the Linder Center of HOPE.

How Does ECT Work?

ECT involves placing electrodes on the patient’s scalp and delivering a controlled electric current, which causes a brief seizure. The procedure is performed under general anesthesia, ensuring the patient does not feel any pain.

The seizure activity is linked to brain chemistry changes that can quickly reverse symptoms of certain mental health conditions. ECT treatment does not cause any structural damage to the brain.

Misconceptions About ECT

Despite its effectiveness, ECT is often surrounded by misconceptions. Many people associate it with outdated and barbaric practices due to its portrayal in the media.

However, modern ECT is a safe, well-regulated procedure with minimal side effects. Common side effects may include short-term memory loss and confusion, but these typically resolve soon after the treatment.

Where to Get ECT Therapy

If you are considering ECT, finding the right ECT provider is key. An ECT center typically offers a range of services, including initial consultations, treatment planning, and follow-up care. It’s essential to choose a facility with experienced professionals who can provide personalized care.

When searching for ECT providers near you, consider the following factors:

  • Qualifications and Experience. Ensure the providers are board-certified psychiatrists with specialized training in ECT.
  • Facility Accreditation. Look for ECT centers accredited by reputable healthcare organizations.
  • Patient Reviews. Read reviews and testimonials from other patients to gauge the quality of care.
  • Comprehensive Services. Choose a center that offers comprehensive services, including pre-treatment evaluations and post-treatment support.

Steps to Getting ECT Treatment

  • Consultation. Schedule an initial consultation with an ECT provider to discuss your medical history and suitability for ECT.
  • Evaluation. Undergo a thorough evaluation, including physical and psychiatric assessments.
  • Treatment Plan. Work with your provider to develop a personalized treatment plan.
  • Ongoing Care. Attend follow-up appointments to monitor your progress and adjust the treatment as needed.

ECT Providers in Cincinnati, Ohio

If you or a loved one is struggling with severe mental health issues and other treatments have not been effective, ECT might be a viable option. To get ECT treatment, start by consulting with your primary care physician or a mental health professional to discuss your symptoms and treatment history. They can refer you to a reputable ECT provider near you.

Cincinnati is home to the Lindner Center of HOPE, a leading ECT provider

There is HOPE

Electroconvulsive Therapy is a powerful tool in the treatment of severe mental health conditions. If you or someone you know is facing severe symptoms related to mental health disorders or life-threatening cases of depression or bipolar disorder, contact the team at the Lindner Center of HOPE, located in Mason, Ohio (located between Cincinnati and Dayton, OH). Always dial 911 for emergencies.

By understanding what ECT is and knowing how to find the best ECT providers near you, you can make informed decisions about your mental health care. Whether you are in Cincinnati or elsewhere in Ohio, Lindner Center of HOPE’s ECT center is ready to help you on your journey to better mental health.

For existing patients, ECT treatment appointments are available MondayFriday, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. New patients require a consultation prior to ECT treatment. Call 513-536-HOPE (4673) or contact us online.

High Hopes, Lindner Center of HOPE’s fundraising auxiliary hosted An Evening of HOPE, May 30, 2024, at MegaCorp Pavilion raising $170,000 for the Center.

The event featured renowned speaker, Kevin Hines, a mental health advocate and survivor of a suicide attempt from the Golden Gate Bridge and a live auction.

Amy Russert & Blake Gustafson co-chaired the event.

All proceeds from the event benefit Lindner Center of HOPE’s Transforming HOPE Campaign. Funds enable the Center to add more treatment units, expand wellness facilities, add clinical staff, increasing the number of patients served, and lessen the suffering of people with mental illness.

Lindner Center of HOPE in Mason is a comprehensive mental health center providing excellent, patient-centered, scientifically-advanced care for individuals suffering with mental illness. A state-of-the-science, mental health center and charter member of the National Network of Depression Centers, the Center provides psychiatric hospitalization and partial hospitalization for individuals age 12-years-old and older, outpatient services for all ages, diagnostic and short-term residential services for adults, and research. The Center is enhanced by its partnership with UC Health as its clinicians are ranked among the best providers locally, nationally and internationally. Together Lindner Center of HOPE and UC Health offer a true system of mental health care in the Greater Cincinnati area and across the country. The Center is also affiliated with the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine.

 

 

Half Day Workshop Offered Education on Mental Health and Wellness to More Than 200

Lindner Center of HOPE hosted more than 200 community members at Community Education Day on Sunday, May 19, 2024 in acknowledgement of May Mental Health Month at Manor House in Mason. The half-day workshop offered an opportunity for community members to enhance their awareness of mental health and wellness.

Brandon Saho, Creator of The Mental Game Podcast, Cincinnati native and former sports reporter with WLWT-TV was the keynote speaker. Saho said goodbye to his dream job in 2022 to focus on his mental health. Saho says he was at his lowest. He was depressed and alone and he didn’t know how to live. Saho spent time as a patient at Lindner Center of HOPE and realized that he didn’t want anyone to struggle like he did, so he started The Mental Game podcast. Saho spends time talking with athletes, musicians, and celebrities with the goal of saving lives through these conversations.

Three sets of breakout sessions followed the keynote presentation. Attendees designed their afternoon according to their areas of interest choosing from varying topics such as:  depression, empowered parenting, finding a therapist, addictions and more.

Just prior to the breakout sessions, attendees participated in a friendly farewell to Michael G. Leadbetter, MD. Dr. Leadbetter, retired plastic surgeon, will launch his year-long friendship bus tour of the United States June 2024 raising awareness around the importance of friendship and connection for mental wellness. The trip is in memory of Leadbetter’s wife, Debbie, his life partner for 49 years. The couple had planned much of the trip before Debbie passed, with the goal of visiting friends around the country, highlighting the significant role friends played in their lives and their mental wellness.

Community Education Day also offered a resource center for participants to gather information on other community services and offerings.

More than 200 members of the community participated in Lindner Center of HOPE’s Community Education Day in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brandon Saho, Creator of The Mental Game Podcast, Cincinnati native and former sports reporter with WLWT-TV was the keynote speaker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brandon Saho gives keynote speech.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(l-r)Dr. Paul Crosby, Lindner Center of HOPE President and CEO with Dr. Michael Leadbetter preparing to send off the Friendship Bus Tour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Participants at Community Education Day give Dr. Leadbetter a sendoff.

A resource center was offered at Community Education Day.

 

Breakout sessions filled out Community Education Day with opportunities to increase awareness and understanding.

Lindner Center of HOPE in Mason is a comprehensive mental health center providing excellent, patient-centered, scientifically-advanced care for individuals suffering with mental illness. A state-of-the-science, mental health center and charter member of the National Network of Depression Centers, the Center provides psychiatric hospitalization and partial hospitalization for individuals age 12-years-old and older, outpatient services for all ages, diagnostic and short-term residential services for adults, and research. The Center is enhanced by its partnership with UC Health as its clinicians are ranked among the best providers locally, nationally and internationally. Together Lindner Center of HOPE and UC Health offer a true system of mental health care in the Greater Cincinnati area and across the country. The Center is also affiliated with the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine.

The Scurry is an annual event hosted by TiER1 Performance to raise money for local organizations that provide mental health services. On Friday, May 17, the event will start at noon with a three-hour team competition (think CBS’s The Amazing Race) featuring challenge stations throughout Covington,

Kentucky, and the Cincinnati Riverfront and end with an epic after party at Covington Yard from 4-7 pm. Register your team at thescurry.com by April 26!

Proceeds from the event will directly benefit the mental health initiatives at Lindner Center of HOPE, Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky, and the Adapt for Life program at Cincinnati Children’s. Since its launch in 2010, The Scurry has helped raise more than $400,000 for local mental health efforts.

Whether you participate in the team competition, sponsor the event, attend the after party, or donate to the cause, every form of support is appreciated and makes a positive impact on the community.

Visit THESCURRY.COM for more information.

 

Trip to honor wife’s memory and raise awareness of the importance of friendship for mental wellness

Michael G. Leadbetter, MD, retired plastic surgeon, will launch his year-long friendship bus tour of the United States June 2024 raising awareness around the importance of friendship and connection for mental wellness. The trip is in memory of Leadbetter’s wife, Debbie, his life partner for 49 years. The couple had planned much of the trip before Debbie passed, with the goal of visiting friends around the country, highlighting the significant role friends played in their lives and their mental wellness. Leadbetter intends to donate $25 to Lindner Center of HOPE, a mental health center of excellence in Mason, Ohio, for every friend he interacts with on his journey. He is also hopeful that interested individuals that he meets will contribute to Lindner Center of HOPE and/or mental health causes of their own in recognition of his year-long tour. Leadbetter has a list of 150 friends he would like to visit who have played an important part in he and his wife’s journey.

Leadbetter and his wife lost their oldest daughter, who was living with bipolar disorder, to progressive illness caused by years of depression and uncontrolled addiction in 2020.  This devastating loss has fueled his passion for mental health.

“A person can hear, but a friend listens for meaning. A person can look, but a friend sees the heart. A person can know, but a friend understands your dreams. When in need, the Lindner Center of HOPE is where you will find your friends,” Leadbetter shared.

“A friend loveth at all times.” Proverbs 17:17

Leadbetter and Lindner Center of HOPE will have a launch party for the friendship bus tour on May 19, 2024, as part of Lindner Center of HOPE’s Community Education Day at The Manor House in Mason. The community event offers mental health education to local community members during a half-day event that includes a key-note speaker, resource fair and break-out sessions on mental health and wellness topics.

The official tour will begin in Brookville, Ohio, Leadbetter’s hometown on June 2 at a reunion with classmates from the classes of 1965 and 1966.

About Dr. Leadbetter

Leadbetter was a 1965 graduate of Brookville Ohio High School. He graduated from Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio in 1969. In 1974 he graduated from The Ohio State College of Medicine. He completed his general surgery residency at The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He went on to complete his plastic surgery residency at The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio. He was a founding member of the Plastic Surgery Group in Cincinnati where he practiced for 40 years before retiring in 2020. He is a board member of the Reid Rizzo Foundation. He is past president of the Ohio State College of Medicine Alumni Society and a past board member of The Cincinnati Music and Wellness Coalition.

Launch Events:

Lindner Center of HOPE Community Education Day
Sunday, May 19, 2024
Time: 12:45pm
Manor House, 7440 Mason Montgomery Rd., Mason, Ohio

 

Brookville Ohio
Monday, June 3, 2024
Time:  2pm
Location:  Golden Gate Park with high school classmates

 

Lindner Center of HOPE  provides excellent, patient-centered, scientifically advanced care for individuals suffering with mental illness. A state-of-the-science mental-health center and charter member of the National Network of Depression Centers, the center provides psychiatric hospitalization and partial hospitalization for adults, outpatient services for all ages, diagnostic and short-term residential services for adults, intensive outpatient program for substance abuse and co-occurring disorders for adults and research. The center is enhanced by its partnership with UC Health as its clinicians are ranked among the best providers locally, nationally and internationally. Together Lindner Center of HOPE and UC Health offer a true system of mental health care in the Greater Cincinnati area and across the country. The center is also affiliated with the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine.

Lina Hidalgo shares her decision to seek treatment for depression with the media to reduce stigma and help others start to access care.

 

 

Listen to this Asking for a Friend Podcast to learn more about healthy self-care and managing distress.

Here is a direct link to the podcast.  Again, it will be live at midnight tonight.

https://askingforafriend.buzzsprout.com

 

 

At the May 24th Reds game, Reds Country Cares focused on Mental Health Awareness. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, the Reds invited guests from local organizations to the ballpark to participate in a pregame ceremony in appreciation of their work to help our community with resources and support for those in need.

Francisco Romo-Nava, MD, PhD, Associate Chief Research Officer of Lindner Center of HOPE was the Honorary Captain at the May 24th Reds game.

Video: https://mlbn-distro.mlb.com/20230524CIN-REDS-HONORARY-CAPTAIN.mp4

Reds Article on Mental Health: https://www.mlb.com/reds/news/reds-focusing-on-mental-health-awareness-month

Congratulations! The readers of Mason + Deerfield Lifestyle have nominated Lindner Center of HOPE for the 2022 Readers’ Choice Awards. The Center is a finalist in the BEST MEDICAL SPECIALIST Category.

Previous years we were a winner!

Please vote yourselves and encourage your friends, family, and patients to vote for Lindner Center of HOPE. They had over 4300 voters last year, and most categories took at least 500 votes to win and some came within 10 votes—EVERY VOTE COUNTS!   Voting will end at 12pm on November 12th at https://bit.ly/MDL-ReadersChoice2022

  • Please note there is only one vote allowed per email address.
  • Please note that winners are determined 100% by the top vote-getter. We had over 4300 voters last year, and most categories took at least 500 votes to win and some came within 10 votes—EVERY VOTE COUNTS! So, be sure to post and share on your social media, websites, email lists, etc.

When Are the Winners Announced?

  • All winners will get an award and window cling.
  • All winners will be listed in the February  issue.

Thanks for voting!