Electrodes are attached to your head. You've been lightly anaesthetised to minimise suffering. The flick of a switch on the Thymatron System IV sends an electrical current coursing through your brain, inducing a seizure. This is not a judicial execution, this is a well-intentioned medical intervention.
Few forms of medical treatment evoke more horror than the idea of electro-convulsive therapy. Historically used as a general intervention for severe mental health problems, it eventually became more focused on the treatment of depression in people who had not responded well to medication.
When I discuss electro-convulsive therapy in my classes at least one student will always ask whether it is still “a thing”. The question is typically voiced with a hint of incredulity. The answer is, yes, it is a treatment option in this country as well.
The Guardian recently took advantage of the UK's Freedom of Information Act to request electro-convulsive therapy records from all mental health hospitals in England. Their findings suggest that between 2012 and 2016 the rate of procedures rose by 11 per cent.
Advocates of electro-convulsive therapy claim that it works. The exact details of how it works, however, are unclear. There is no shortage of pet theories as to why repeatedly electrifying the brain might liberate an individual from a depressive episode.
One idea is that electro-convulsive therapy might cause changes in brain chemistry that somehow reduce depressive symptoms.
Another idea is that electro-convulsive therapy is just a very powerful placebo, but the only way to definitively rule out that theory is to run trials.
To date, there are no studies showing that electro-convulsive therapy is any better than placebo beyond the end of treatment.
Furthermore, the few placebo-controlled studies that have attempted to make this comparison have suffered from small samples and poor design.
Over the long term, there is no evidence that electro-convulsive therapy is any superior to placebo.
Richard Bentall, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Liverpool in the UK, describes the use of ECT in the absence of rigorous scientific support as “a classic failure of evidence-based medicine”.
On the other hand, there is no shortage of evidence about electro-convulsive therapy's potential to cause harm. Among other side effects, there is substantial evidence that the procedure can lead to lasting memory dysfunction.
For every patient who claims electro-convulsive therapy has greatly helped them, there are others who claim ECT has ruined their lives. Similarly, for the many clinicians opposed to this type of therapy, there are other clinicians who are particularly enthusiastic about it.
This situation leads to what is termed “postcode prescribing” in the UK: if you live in area x, and therefore visit hospital y, then you are far more likely to receive ECT. Treatment is based on availability and the enthusiasm of a particular clinician or team, rather than the scientific evidence of its effectiveness.
Electro-convulsive therapy is practised in the UAE. How widely? I don't know. Some hospitals have previously boasted about having ECT clinics. The controversy surrounding electro-convulsive therapy warrants a closer look at the practice. In the UAE, for example, is it increasing or declining? Am I more likely to receive ECT if I seek treatment in emirate X rather than emirate Y?
World-class health care has to be based on best available scientific evidence. At present electro-convulsive therapy lacks such support. Does it have a place in the UAE?
Dr Justin Thomas is an associate professor at Zayed University
On Twitter: @DrJustinThomas
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Places to go for free coffee
- Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day.
- La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
- Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
- Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight
The currency conundrum
Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”
Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.
This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.
Why are you, you?
Why are you, you?
From this question, a new beginning.
From this question, a new destiny.
For you are a world, and a meeting of worlds.
Our dream is to unite that which has been
separated by history.
To return the many to the one.
A great story unites us all,
beyond colour and creed and gender.
The lightning flash of art
And the music of the heart.
We reflect all cultures, all ways.
We are a twenty first century wonder.
Universal ideals, visions of art and truth.
Now is the turning point of cultures and hopes.
Come with questions, leave with visions.
We are the link between the past and the future.
Here, through art, new possibilities are born. And
new answers are given wings.
Why are you, you?
Because we are mirrors of each other.
Because together we create new worlds.
Together we are more powerful than we know.
We connect, we inspire, we multiply illuminations
with the unique light of art.
Ben Okri,
Mobile phone packages comparison
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
