Electricity and the brainElectricity and the brain
All In The Mind
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) has a chequered history, but its modern iteration is nothing like the scenes depicted in films like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Used to treat severe depression and psychosis, ECT's side effects include some degree of memory loss. We delve into the discussion around benefits vs side effects, and speak to three patients about their varying degrees of success with the treatment.
29:07•19 Jul 2020
Electric Shocks, Silent Memories: Making Sense of ECT and the Mind
Episode Overview
- Modern ECT is a controlled medical procedure under general anaesthetic, not the violent punishment often shown in films.
- Studies cited in the episode report ECT can be more effective than antidepressant medication for severe depression.
- Memory loss ranges from mild to significant, and the type and amount of ECT influence this risk.
- Patients and psychiatrists weigh personal priorities, such as speed of recovery versus protecting memory, when choosing ECT approaches.
- Legal frameworks require strict safeguards and review before ECT can be given without a person's consent.
“"When it worked, it was just like a miracle. I do regret consequences of ECT, but I don't regret having the treatment."”
In this eye-opening episode, you'll learn about electricity, memory and severe mental illness through stories that are anything but theoretical. All In The Mind zooms in on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), a treatment with a scary reputation but a very real role in modern psychiatry. The episode balances scientific explanation with raw personal accounts.
Psychiatrist Dr Colleen Liu breaks down what actually happens during ECT: brief electrical pulses under general anaesthetic, muscle relaxants to prevent shaking, and a carefully controlled seizure that can quickly lift severe depression or psychosis. She explains success rates, newer "ultra-brief" techniques designed to reduce memory problems, and why treatment plans are adjusted to each person's priorities and level of risk. Alongside the clinical detail, three patients share starkly different experiences.
Karen Wells describes being homeless, suicidal and tormented by delusions before ECT gave her "some quiet in my head" and a chance for other treatments to work, even though she now lives with significant autobiographical memory loss. Kylie Griffin talks about losing memories from an entire year and feeling that, for her, ECT "didn't actually work" despite seeing it help others on the ward.
Vet Anita Link, treated for catatonic depression linked to bipolar disorder, recalls walking back from the ECT suite smiling after being barely able to move, with only minimal memory issues. The episode also touches on legal safeguards around involuntary ECT and recent human rights challenges, making it clear this is a complex, contested treatment rather than a simple fix or a horror-movie punishment.
If you're curious about how modern psychiatry weighs life-saving potential against serious side effects, and you want candid perspectives from both clinicians and patients, this conversation might be exactly what you need to hear next.
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