A retrospective study of anecdotal reports of the adverse side effects of electroconvulsive therapy

The use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a treatment protocol for various serious mental disorders continues to generate controversy in regard to the possibility of adverse side effects. Patient views of the procedure and its effects on them have been given limited audience within the mental health research field. A defined sample of 75 retrospective anecdotal letters to the FDA in response to a 1990 request for public comments associated with a proposed reclassification of ECT medical devices are qualitatively examined to address patient perception and experiences of ECT. Findings suggest that ECT was perceived as a beneficial treatment of choice for a minority of letter writers, against a treatment of last resort accompanied with strong feelings of anxiety and adverse impact for the majority of authors. Prominent themes of personal loss, sense of violation, lack of informed consent, feelings of discrimination, a need for patients to understand what had happened to them and the need for further studies surfaced in the review. Findings and implications are discussed towards potentially increasing understanding, changing public attitudes and improving the range of useful interventions.