Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) passes a small electrical current through the brain to induce a quick seizure under general anaesthetic
NHS patients have slammed a controversial electrical “shock therapy” treatment after a new study, which is about to be published, revealed their memories have been “stolen.”
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) passes a small electrical current through the brain to induce a quick seizure under general anaesthetic. It is used to treat severe mental health conditions, such as manic depression, but is also given to people diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and catatonia.
Patients typically undergo six to 12 treatments under general anaesthetic over a period of several weeks. Despite being in use since the 1930s, there is no universally accepted theory that explains how it works.
According to the latest NHS figures, about 2,500 patients receive the therapy when medication has failed to be effective.
Dr John Read, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of East London, along with a team of researchers, carried out the first ever international survey of people who have undergone electroconvulsive therapy from 44 different countries.
In the research, they interviewed 858 patients, and across four different measures, memory loss as a consequence of ECT was reported between 61% and 84% of patients.
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More than 70% of patients reported a diminished ability to retain new information, and 80% reported loss of autobiographical memories of events before the treatment. A majority of patients said it persisted for more than three years.
Researchers also interviewed 286 family members, who also reported their loved ones experiencing long-term memory loss.
Professor John exclusively told The Mirror: “It is very concerning that ECT is used without any evidence that it is better than placebo and without knowing what percentage of patients suffer permanent memory loss as a result. Passing 150 volts of electricity through brain cells designed to deal with a tiny fraction of one volt inevitably cause brain damage.
“A small but dwindling number of psychiatrists still believe it is a good idea to electrocute the human brain to cause seizures. They mean well, but so did the last few psychiatrists to use lobotomies.”
The initial two studies from the survey, released last month, discovered that most patients believed they had not been properly informed about ECT’s risks and that across five effectiveness measures, the majority of patients reported that ECT had either made no difference or made their condition worse.
The most recent paper’s conclusion stated: “It is recommended that there should be further research into ECT’s long-term effects of memory of ECT, guarantees of evidence-based information for patients and families, effective monitoring for adverse effects, and, for the many patients who feel damaged by ECT, appropriate assessment and rehabilitation.”
In a 2023 report, the World Health Organization and the UN confirmed that anyone offered ECT should be informed of all its risks, including memory loss and brain damage.
Professor John said the recent study is “so important” because any patients who had raised concerns about memory loss and brain damage were “dismissed as crazy mental patients’ for decades”.
Lisa Morrison, from Belfast, received 72 electrical treatments over three years and told the study how her treatment had “stolen memories” of her children.
She said: “It was a clear violation of my rights and dignity to have been given a treatment which stole memories of my precious children (amongst others), and I was never told this could happen.
“The people who were meant to help me heal from extensive trauma and abuse, probably unwittingly, compounded the harm. Informed consent is everybody’s right. People must be told all possible risks.”
Mental health charity Mind said ECT has “never been fit for purpose” and the latest study “further substantiates” that.
Rosie Weatherley, Information Content Manager at Mind, exclusively told The Mirror: “Mind echoes concerns raised by this research– the evidence base for ECT has never been fit for purpose and this latest study further substantiates the need for a re-think about whether and when this treatment is offered to patients. The need for better patient information about ECT has never been clearer.
“The research also raises profound questions about the likelihood and extent of memory loss that patients risk with this procedure, and whether or not those risks are communicated effectively.
“We support calls for more research on ECT, and welcome further scrutiny to ensure only helpful, evidence-based treatments continue to have a place in our healthcare system. There are many effective treatments for mental health problems that do not share this risk profile.”
The National Institute for Health and Care Experience (NICE), which recommends the treatment for people with severe mental illness across the entire NHS, said patients’ should be “fully informed of the risks”.
A NICE spokesperson said: “The recommendations in our guideline on the identifying, treating, and managing depression in adults state that clinicians should only consider ECT for acute treatment of severe depression that is life-threatening and when a rapid response is required, when it is the person’s preference based on past experience of ECT, or when other treatments have failed. The patient should be fully informed of the risks associated with ECT, and with the risks and benefits specific to them.
“Any decision to use ECT should be made jointly with the person with depression as far as possible, taking into account, where applicable, the requirements of the Mental Health Act 2007. Clinics should only provide ECT if they are Electroconvulsive Therapy Accreditation Service (ECTAS) accredited and provide ECT services in accordance with ECTAS standards. Data, including outcomes, on each course of acute and maintenance ECT they deliver must be recorded.”