It's 50 times higher than that. He says health problems, not age, cause the appearance of a higher death rate among elderly. Still, some doctors who consider shock therapy a relatively safe treatment are concerned about the complications in elderly patients. But it's hard to hazard a guess on a death rate because we don't have the data. Shock is profitable The financial incentives of performing shock may be driving the increase in its use.
Shock therapy fits well into the economics of private insurance.
Most policies don't pay for psychiatric hospital stays after 28 days. Drug therapy, psychotherapy and other treatments can take much longer. But shock therapy often produces a dramatic effect in three weeks. We're looking for more bang for the buck in health care today. It is also the most profitable procedure in psychiatry.