KNOWLEDGE & ATTITUDES TOWARD ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY ( ECT ) AMONG A SAMPLE OF HEALTH FIELD STUDENT AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC IN SAUDI ARABIA AT " QASSIM " Haifa

Haifa Marzoog Alharbi , khawlah Ahmad Almansour , Fatima Mohammed al-olyan , Soad Abdulrhman Albshri , Bdoor saad alrasheedi and Farida khalaf alharbi. ...................................................................................................................... Manuscript Info Abstract ......................... ........................................................................ Manuscript History


…………………………………………………………………………………………………….... Introduction:-
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) involves the induction of a grand mal seizure through the passage of an electrical current to the patient's brain with the aim of improving the patient's mental status under anesthesia and muscle relaxant. There is no solid based clarification for the mechanism of action and how the ECT works but the most credibility goes to the biochemical theory. ECT is widely prescribed worldwide and first indicated in the emergency treatment of severe depression with suicide or psychosis, medication-resistant schizophrenia. ECT is also commonly used as an effective alternative to medication for patients who have a comorbid medical condition.
Modified and non-modified ECT are the two forms of the treatment, modification comes in the form of using anesthesia together with the muscle relaxant to limit the intensity of convulsion and reduce its side effects as bone and teeth fractures. Most of the internationally established guidelines recommended the modified ECT in the last decade as the standard routine treatment. Unilateral treatment is prescribed for some patients instead of bilateral to overcome the most frequently occurring side effects as temporary memory loss, mental confusion, and headache.
Despite controversies surrounding its use still remains one of the most efficacious treatment for the much severe mental disorder.
However, a lot of stigmas is attached to the use of ECT, which undermines the acceptance of this treatment by the general public. In contrast to the negative view about ECT among the general public, studies which have evaluated the knowledge and attitude of mentally ill patients who have received ECT and their relatives, suggest that they are mostly satisfied with the experience of ECT.
Studies which have evaluated the attitude of patients before and after ECT also show the attitudes become more positive after an experience of the treatment. However, this is the first study focusing on awareness about ECT since there are no data on Qassim region about attitude or awareness of general public toward ECT.
Aim In this study, to examine the knowledge and attitude of the general public toward ECT.
Objective:to explore the state of knowledge & attitudes toward electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) among a sample of health field student and the general public in Saudi Arabia at "Qassim".
Data collection Technique:-Type of questionnaire:-See the appendix sample size:-200(100 for health field in Saudi Arabia at "Qassim" and 100 for general population)

Sample method:-
A random sample will be collected from health field in Saudi Arabia at "Qassim" and the general public.

The plane for data collection:-
The sample is divided into two groups, one for health field in Saudi Arabia at "Qassim" and another group for general public through electronic Questionnaires.   Table 3:-Illustrates the knowledge score related to sex.        show only a few of the medical (29%) and non-medical(14%) agreed to it implying that majority of the people did not consider ECT safe in pregnancy.
IT IS GOOD to know that most of the health field student are well informed about ECT , the score was about 64% compared to the general public about 31% , the most age have the knowledge score is the age between 31-40 .however the source of knowledge more from internet 34% the in compare to other sources . The health field student have a good attitude towards ECT (is an inhuman treatment) 71% of the sample disagreed with this statement. The health field student and the general public attitude towards ECT (is a painful treatment) 73.5% of the sample agreed with this statement. While attitude towards ECT (is that Need anesthesia) from the health field student and the general public 57.5% of the sample disagreed with this statement. In the view of the most cases improved by treatment. From the sample for the safety of ECT during pregnancy, show the health field student (29%) and the general public (14%) agreed to it implying that majority of the people did not consider ECT safe in pregnancy.

Recommendation:-
we consider that there are many options in the treatment that it has a benefit as well as side effects, but should the person know both, so he can choose what is he would prefer to the treatment. And we LIKE TO clear about the ECT treatment that it gives us a positive result, not causes any pain under general anesthesia and safe for pregnant and this is what approved in the previous researchers.