A nurse is providing teaching to a client who is scheduled for electroconvulsive therapy. Which of the following statements should the nurse include?

Choice A reason: Confusion upon waking is a common and expected side effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Clients often experience transient disorientation, memory impairment, or headache immediately after the procedure. This occurs because ECT induces a controlled seizure, which temporarily alters brain activity. Nurses must prepare clients for these short-term cognitive effects and reassure them that confusion typically resolves within hours. Choice B reason: Lorazepam is not administered before ECT because benzodiazepines can raise the seizure threshold and interfere with the therapeutic effect. Instead, clients are given a short-acting anesthetic and a muscle relaxant (commonly methohexital and succinylcholine) to induce unconsciousness and prevent musculoskeletal injury during the seizure. Therefore, this statement is inaccurate. Choice C reason: ECT does not work by stimulating the vagus nerve. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a separate treatment modality used for refractory depression and epilepsy. ECT works by inducing a generalized seizure through controlled electrical currents applied to the brain, which alters neurotransmitter activity and improves mood regulation. Choice D reason: A magnet placed on the scalp is associated with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), not ECT. TMS uses magnetic fields to stimulate specific brain regions without inducing seizures. ECT, in contrast, uses direct electrical currents to trigger a therapeutic seizure. Confusing these modalities can mislead clients, so nurses must clarify the distinction.