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.

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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."

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