Why Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)?

Scott Peddie
Nov 2
3 min read

When people think of ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) their point of reference is often movies such as 'One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest'. Those unforgettable scenes are seared into the minds of those who have watched them.

In that respect, ECT is portrayed as a means of punishment, a form of control, and as a memory-erasing treatment. It is also widely thought of as being applied without anaesthesia or a muscle relaxant, causing injury and trauma.

Modern ECT is very different and it is an essential therapeutic tool in the treatment of severe illness. People are often surprised that this is the case and it still carries with it an unfortunate degree of stigma and misunderstanding.

There is a huge amount of information available online relating to this topic. However, it varies widely in its quality and reliability. For that reason, I am including a number of trusted links that you can refer to if this is of relevance to you.

NOTE: This post is for information purposes only. Please refer to an appropriate medical specialist in this area regarding diagnosis and treatment.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK provides comprehensive information on ECT that I have summarised in parts; the full version is available in audio, easy read, and British Sign Language formats. Visit the Royal College's website at: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/treatments-and-wellbeing/ect

When might your doctor suggest ECT?

ECT will usually be suggested if your condition:

is life-threatening and you need to get better quickly to save your life
is causing you immense suffering
has not responded to other treatments, such as medication and psychological therapy
has responded well to ECT in the past.

ECT is given as a course of treatments, typically twice a week for 3–8 weeks. If you have ECT, it will take place under general anaesthetic. This means that you will be asleep during the procedure.

While you are asleep, your brain will be stimulated with short electric pulses. This causes a fit which lasts for less than two minutes. As well as an anaesthetic, you will be given a muscle relaxant which reduces how much your body moves during the fit.

Long-term side effects

The extent of long-term side effects is controversial.

The most serious potential long-term side effect of ECT is that you might forget events from your past. A small number of patients report gaps in their memory about events in their life that happened before they had ECT. This tends to affect memories of events that occurred during, or shortly before, the depression started. Sometimes these memories return fully or partially, but sometimes these gaps can be permanent. Recent research suggests that 7% of people receiving unilateral ECT report some persistent memory loss 12 months after ECT.

What can happen if you don’t have ECT?

You and your doctor will need to balance the risk of you experiencing side effects from ECT with the risk of you not having ECT. Not having ECT may mean that you are more likely to have: