Tim Gaines wrote:
> It seems that a 14-year old boy was undergoing a series of
> ECS treatments and on one particular day had been prepped completely,
> the only step left being the delivery of the shock. The treatment team
> was suddenly interrupted by a nurse who entered the room with an urgent
> message. Seconds later they were astounded to see that the boy was
> showing seizure activity. The psychologist who told me this story
> firmly believed that they had classically conditioned the seizure, and
> he speculated about the possibility of obtaining beneficial treatment
> effects without always employing the shock (the UCS).
A very interesting anecdote. I'm skeptical (as you seem to be), but it is
interesting. It does suggest that an adequate placebo might be simply to do
all the prep work but give no shock. If I remember correctly, patients are
given a short-acting general anesthetic before the treatment begins. Thus,
they might not be aware of whether they have received the treatment or not.
One could make this a double-blind by having independent evaluators estimate
the amount of symptom improvement.
Does anyone know if this has been done?
Jeff
--
Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D. Office Phone: (480) 423-6213
9000 E. Chaparral Rd. FAX Number: (480) 423-6298
Psychology Department [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626
"The truth is rare and never simple."
Oscar Wilde
"[T]he more outrageous the myth, the more likely...that large
numbers of people will cleave to it."
Paul Kurtz
