Range of Adverse Effects Seen With Electroconvulsive Therapy

TUESDAY, Dec. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is associated with a range of adverse effects, according to a study published online Nov. 19 in the International Journal of Mental Health.John Read, Ph.D., from the University of East London, and colleagues conducted an online survey to examine responses of 747 ECT recipients and 201 relatives/friends from 37 countries to a question about 25 possible adverse effects. The authors sought to assess the range of adverse effects.The researchers found that more than half of both the ECT recipients and the relatives/friends reported 17 of the 25 adverse effects. More than 67 percent of both groups reported eight: losing train of thought, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, emotional blunting, problems with relationships, loss of independence, difficulty navigating, and loss of vocabulary. At least 30 percent of both groups described the first four of these as "severe." There was a positive relation seen for several individual adverse effects with recipients receiving more courses of ECT and more total individual ECTs, with being female, and with having bilateral electrode placements. Fewer adverse effects were not seen in association with more recent ECT."It is a sad indictment of ECT psychiatrists that there has been no interest in establishing the full range of adverse effects from this treatment in the 80 years it has been in use," Read said in a statement. "Given that we don’t even know whether it is better than a placebo, it is time to suspend this procedure pending better research, into both efficacy and safety."One author is a paid expert witness in ECT legal cases.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Range of Adverse Effects Seen With Electroconvulsive Therapy

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