Insulin shock therapy, also called insulin coma therapy, was a psychiatric treatment in which patients were repeatedly given large doses of insulin to induce daily comas over several weeks. Austrian-American psychiatrist Manfred Sakel introduced the technique in 1927 after observing that a patient who accidentally slipped into a coma showed improved mental clarity, and after further testing on patients with schizophrenia in Vienna he presented his results publicly in 1933, leading other psychiatrists in Britain, the United States and beyond to adopt the method. It became widely used for schizophrenia during the 1940s and 1950s before falling out of use as neuroleptic drugs replaced it in the 1960s, and medical historians group it together with convulsive therapies, deep sleep therapy and psychosurgery among the early physical treatments of psychiatry's first decades.
Facts
Classification
StatusDiscontinued or Obsolete 1 Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_shock_therapy, lead sectionQuote, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_shock_therapy, lead section
Insulin shock therapy or insulin coma therapy was a form of psychiatric treatment in which patients were repeatedly injected with large doses of insulin in order to produce daily comas over several weeks. It was introduced in 1927 by Austrian-American psychiatrist Manfred Sakel a
2. Wikipedia: Insulin Shock Therapy
WikipediaLead paragraph, sentence naming Sakel and 1927Quote, Lead paragraph, sentence naming Sakel and 1927
It was introduced in 1927 by Austrian-American psychiatrist Manfred Sakel and used extensively in the 1940s and 1950s, mainly for schizophrenia, before falling out of favour and being replaced by neuroleptic drugs in the 1960s.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did doctors stop using insulin shock therapy?
Neuroleptic drugs replaced it in the 1960s.
Insulin shock therapy, introduced by Manfred Sakel in 1927 and presented publicly in 1933, gave patients with schizophrenia large insulin doses to induce daily comas over several weeks. It was widely used during the 1940s and 1950s, then fell out of use in the 1960s as neuroleptic drugs replaced it. Medical historians group it with convulsive therapies, deep sleep therapy and psychosurgery among the early physical treatments of psychiatry.
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