Ethics in Electroconvulsive Therapy

Abstract

Reviews the book, Ethics in Electroconvulsive Therapy by Jan-Otto Ottosson and Max Fink (2004). The layout of the book is quite direct. As noted, the authors do not hide the fact that they are writing this book to address head-on what they believe to be unfounded and unjustifiably negative biases against ECT. If this text is read as a straight ethics book, in fact, there are serious problems with how the authors seem to understand Beauchamp and Childress. In the end, however, there is an honesty to the authors' efforts: they are self-avowed advocates of ECT and they are giving us their arguments. Should the reader disagree and maintain a different commitment, the authors have provided a framework for critically reflecting upon the reasons for such disagreement and difference in perspective. This alone is surely an important contribution to the discussion of ECT. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)