A large exploratory survey of electroconvulsive therapy recipients, family members and friends: what information do they recall being given?

ABSTRACT: The right to informed consent is a core ethical principle. Recent audits of patient information leaflets about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), in Australia, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, suggest that this principle is often not implemented, with efficacy being exaggerated and risks minimised. In the current study a convenience sample of 858 ECT recipients and 286 family members and friends, from 44 countries, responded to an online survey about their experiences of ECT, including the information they recall being given to them before ECT. Most (59%) of the ECT recipients reported that they had not been given 'adequate information' and a further 17% were 'not sure'. For example, 63% of recipients recall being told that 'ECT can cause temporary memory problems', but only 17

SUBMITTER: Read J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12911569 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature