Medical pros of electroconvulsive therapy may be exaggerated while cons are downplayed

[OKIsItJustMe]

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-medical-pros-electroconvulsive-therapy-exaggerated.html

AUGUST 14, 2025
Medical pros of electroconvulsive therapy may be exaggerated while cons are downplayed
by British Medical Journal

edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan

The medical pros of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are being exaggerated while the risks are being downplayed, suggest the findings of a survey on the type of information patients and their relatives/friends recall having been given before the procedure, and published online in the Journal of Medical Ethics.

Based on the responses, the researchers calculate that patients were nearly four times more likely to recall being told that the resulting memory problems were temporary rather than long-term. And they were six times more likely to recall being told that ECT can be life-saving rather than about potential heart problems.

…

For example, nearly two thirds (63%) recall being told that "ECT can cause temporary memory problems," but only 17% that it "can cause long-term or permanent memory problems."

Only 12% recall being told that "ECT can cause heart problems" and 28% that there are "risks from repeated general anesthesia."

…

Read J, Harrop C, Morrison L, et al A large exploratory survey of electroconvulsive therapy recipients, family members and friends: what information do they recall being given? Journal of Medical Ethics Published Online First: 14 August 2025. doi: 10.1136/jme-2024-110629

[Martin68]

1. The procedure does provide relief for major depressive disorder that is unresponsive too any other treatment,

particularly when imminent suicide seems likely. It is also a first-line treatment for severe or life-threatening catatonia. It is considered a last resort treatment for cases that can be considered a life-threatening emergency when other treatments have failed to provide relief.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. The study points to controversy regarding the efficacy of ECT for depression, schizophrenia and suicide

…

Electroconvulsive therapy
ECT involves 6–12 administrations of electricity to the brain, under general anaesthesia, over several weeks, to produce tonic-clonic seizures. Since its invention in 1938, it has remained a controversial procedure. More than 80 years after ECT was introduced, there is no consensus about risks, benefits, mode of action or dosing protocols. One meta-analysis reported that ‘Views on ECT vary from researchers who consider that it is probably ineffective but certainly causes brain damage, through to those who think it is the most effective treatment available in psychiatry and is completely safe’. Presumably, this lack of consensus about efficacy and safety contributes to what one international review described as ‘large variation between continent, countries and regions in utilization, rates and clinical practice’. A recent audit found a 47-fold difference in rates of ECT usage between the highest and lowest using areas of England.

…

ECT and informed consent
An audit of patient information leaflets at 36 ECT clinics in England found that ‘Patients are being misled about the risks they are taking and the limited nature of ECT’s benefits’. Specifically:

The most common inaccurate statements included: ECT corrects biological deficits; misleading claims of very low mortality risk; minimization of memory loss; claims that ECT saves lives; and claims of very high improvement rates. The current (2020) RCPsych leaflet contained seven inaccurate statements.

…

Read J, Harrop C, Morrison L, et al A large exploratory survey of electroconvulsive therapy recipients, family members and friends: what information do they recall being given? Journal of Medical Ethics Published Online First: 14 August 2025. doi: 10.1136/jme-2024-110629

[oberle]

3. A very good friend had electroconvulsive therapy

And she lost 10 years of memories. It is a horrible thing.

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. OMG!

That’s awful!