A Survey of ECT Recipients, Family Members and Friends: Are the Self-Reported Reasons for The Recipients' Problems Being Addressed?

Abstract

Electroconvulsive therapy is administered, internationally, to approximately a million people annually. This study aimed to collect the self-reported factors contributing to the problems for which ECT is prescribed and assess how well mental health services addressed those factors. An online survey was responded to by 858 ECT recipients and 286 family members and friends, from 44 countries. The majority (84%) of ECT recipients reported childhood adversities and, of those, 78% believed those adversities had contributed to the problems for which ECT was prescribed. Only 32% reported that mental health services had asked about their childhood adversities, and 30% that their adversities had been ‘therapeutically addressed’. 81% of ECT recipients reported at least one of 11 recent stressors. Of these, 67% believed their stressors had contributed to their problems. 34% reported being asked about their stressors and 21% felt that the stressors had been ‘therapeutically addressed’. Mental health professionals, including nurses, should ensure that patients are asked about the life events and circumstances they believe contributed to the difficulties for which ECT is being considered, and offered some help with them.