Resources
ECT Resources
Electroconvulsive therapy explained in plain language — what the research shows about how well it works, what it does to memory, and how it compares with other options.
Ketamine or ECT for Depression? Researchers Took a Closer Look
If you or someone you love has struggled with really severe depression, you might have heard of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) — a treatmen…
ECT and Consent: What Happens When Someone Is Too Unwell to Decide
This is the part of ECT people find most uncomfortable, and it deserves a straight answer rather than avoidance. Some people become so unwe…
Choosing Between Ketamine and ECT: What Might Tip the Balance
A large trial found ketamine was not inferior to ECT for treatment-resistant depression. That leaves a practical question for anyone facing …
The Anaesthetic Is a Bigger Part of ECT Than You'd Think
When people picture ECT, they think about the electricity. The anaesthetic barely features. Yet the anaesthetic turns out to be one of the t…
What Actually Happens During ECT
Most people's mental image of ECT comes from films, and it is wrong. Here is what the clinical literature actually describes. ECT is a medi…
Why ECT Has Such a Bad Reputation Online
If you search for ECT, what you find will probably frighten you. Researchers set out to measure exactly that, analysing tweets in English an…
Can Doctors Predict Who ECT Will Help? Not Yet
Depression in later life can be particularly stubborn, and ECT is often effective for it. A reasonable question follows: can anyone tell in …
What Happens After ECT Works? Denmark Followed 20,000 People
ECT is usually described as a course of treatment with an end point. But depression has a habit of returning, which raises an obvious questi…
Ketamine or ECT? A Large Trial Compared Them Directly
For decades, if depression had not responded to medication, ECT was the main option left. Ketamine has changed that conversation, and until …
Does ECT Affect Memory Long-Term? It Depends How You Measure
Worry about memory is the single most common reason people hesitate about ECT. This 2024 review pulled together ten studies covering 868 peo…
Where the Electrodes Go Changes What ECT Costs You
If you have ever read about ECT, you have probably seen the word "electrodes" and not much explanation of what that means in practice. It tu…