A new study analyzing results of an online survey on electroconvulsive therapy finds that the memory loss and worsened quality of life reported by a large majority of recipients of the procedure were observed by family and friends of recipients as well.

An international survey on the outcomes of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT, or electroshock) finds that a majority of family and friends of ECT recipients report the procedure worsened the quality of life and resulted in memory loss for two out of three recipients, according to a new study published in Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice.  The responses of family and friends are consistent with responses of the recipients themselves, which backs up the accuracy of the recipients’ responses, the authors of the study report.

The research paper is the latest in a series of studies based on data collected from 1,144 individuals – 858 ECT recipients and 286 family and friends – from 44 countries, who responded to an online survey about their experience with electroshock.  The survey was conducted to address the lack of any recent, high-quality clinical studies on ECT that meet modern research standards. 

Earlier studies in the series revealed that a majority (55%-71%) of ECT recipients responded that the procedure had no benefit or a negative impact on each of five measures of effectiveness, with half (49%) reporting that ECT made their quality of life either “much worse” or “very much worse.” 

A large majority of recipients also reported suffering from long-term memory problems.  Nearly three out of four (71%) ECT recipients reported they are less able to remember new information (anterograde amnesia), while four out of five (80%) reported they lost memories of events that occurred before receiving electroshock (retrograde amnesia).  A large majority of these recipients (65% with anterograde amnesia, 81% with retrograde amnesia) reported their memory loss had lasted three years or more.

The new study indicates that the survey responses from 216 family and 70 friends are “broadly similar” to the responses from ECT recipients, “which tends to support the accuracy of the recipients’ responses,” the researchers write.

More than half (55%) of family and friends reported electroshock made the problem it was prescribed for worse or had no effect, with one in three (34%) responding it made the recipient’s problem “much worse” or “very much worse.” 

On the recipient’s overall quality of life, two out of three (68%) family and friends reported ECT had no effect or made it worse, with half (51%) responding ECT made it “much worse” or “very much worse.”

When asked how harmful electroshock was for the recipient, four out of five (82%) family and friends responded that it was harmful to some extent, with over half (53%) reporting it was “very harmful.”

Among those reporting harmful effects of ECT, two out of three (68%) referred to memory loss or memory problems, while other adverse effects were reported even more often:

• Difficulty concentrating (79%)
• Fatigue (73%)
• Emotional blunting (73%)
• Losing train of thought (72%)
• Loss of independence (72%)
• Relationship problems (70%)

Because ECT machines were in use before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was granted authority by Congress in 1976 to regulate medical devices, the machines have never been required to prove safety or efficacy. 

Electroconvulsive therapy involves shooting as much as 400 volts of electricity through brain tissue to produce an epilepsy-type seizure.  After 85 years of performing electroshock, psychiatrists still cannot explain how this procedure is supposed to work to treat depression or other mental health conditions, how much voltage to use, and how often and how many sessions of ECT to administer.  It is trial and error with human lives.

Nobody knows how many Americans get electroshocked each year.  A widely used, but outdated estimate of 100,000 appears to come from a 1995 study. 

Psychiatrists performing electroshock can greatly increase their income.  It has been estimated that a psychiatrist spending just a few hours a week to do 20 ECT procedures can bring in an additional $300,000 per year. 

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) advocates a total ban on ECT and continues to raise public awareness about the harm it can cause.  CCHR’s documentary, Therapy or Torture: The Truth About Electroshock, which can be viewed online, warns consumers about the serious risks of ECT. 

To date, more than 141,000 people have signed CCHR’s online petition to ban ECT.

The content on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for personal medical advice given by a licensed physician.