A major international survey has found that more than half of patients who underwent electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) said it was unhelpful, worsened their quality of life, and was often administered without full disclosure of potential long-term risks — including permanent memory loss.
The findings, reported by The Times UK and published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, are based on responses from 858 people who had received ECT, a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are induced in the brain using electric currents under general anaesthesia. While the procedure has been used since the 1930s — most often for severe, treatment-resistant depression — researchers noted that no placebo-controlled trials have tested its effectiveness since 1985.
In the survey, 59% of respondents said ECT was “not at all helpful” and 62% said it made their quality of life worse. Only 18% reported it was “very helpful.” The majority of NHS patients who receive ECT each year are treated for depression, but it is also used for schizophrenia, catatonia, and other conditions.
The study also found significant gaps in informed consent. Just 17% of participants recalled being told ECT could cause long-term memory problems, while 59% said the information provided before treatment was inadequate. More than five times as many respondents reported being told it was the most effective treatment for severe depression as were told there was no evidence for long-term benefits.
Personal testimonies highlighted the potential consequences. Lisa Morrison, 51, one of the study’s authors, underwent 72 ECT treatments over three years and says she lost her ability to remember her own wedding day, along with other precious memories. “I could never have actually given informed consent because I was never given all the accurate information about possible risks and benefits,” she said.
Another co-author, Sarah Hancock, who had 116 ECT treatments, said it erased 36 years of her memory and damaged her relationships. “The principle of freely informed consent and bodily autonomy is a basic human right,” she said. “Paternalistic minimisation of treatment risks has no place in modern medicine.”
The World Health Organisation and the United Nations have previously stated that anyone offered ECT should be fully informed of risks such as brain damage and memory loss. The authors of the new study are calling for ECT to be suspended until more rigorous, evidence-based research demonstrates its safety and efficacy.
NHS England has been contacted for comment.
