Shock therapy is making a comeback today in the treatment of serious mental illness. Despite its reemergence as a safe and effective psychiatric tool, however, it continues to be shrouded by a longstanding negative public image, not least due to films such as the classic One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, where the inmate of a psychiatric clinic (played by Jack Nicholson) is subjected to electro-shock to curb his rebellious behavior. Beyond its vilification in popular culture, the stereotype of convulsive therapy as a dangerous and inhumane practice is fuelled by professional posturing and public misinformation.
Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, has in the last thirty years been considered a method of last resort in the treatment of debilitating depression, suicidal ideation, and other forms of mental illness. Yet, ironically, its effectiveness in treating these patients would suggest it as a frontline therapy, bringing relief from acute symptoms and saving lives. In this book, Edward Shorter and David Healy trace the controversial history of ECT and other "shock" therapies. Drawing on case studies, public debates, extensive interviews, and archival research, the authors expose the myths about ECT that have proliferated over the years.
By showing ECT's often life-saving results, Shorter and Healy endorse a point of view that is hotly contested in professional circles and in public debates, but for the nearly half of all clinically depressed patients who do not respond to drugs, this book brings much needed hope.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 2.5 / 5.0

Don't be shocked by Shock Therapy:

The previous reviews are deeply committed to warring against any account which does not privilege the demonizing, one-flew-over-the-cuckoo's-nest, characterization of ECT. Take the time to visit ect.org yourself, and you'll read numerous accounts of people who have experienced the treatment who do not share the gloomy, conspiratorial opinions of the site's founders.
The polarizing argument plaguing this issue does no one any good. Shorter and Healey's book make clear that the treatment should not be... more info

Shock Treatment - Schlock History:

In this book, the Edward Shorter and David Healy claim that, "it is not our goal to establish whether ECT causes memory problems beyond the relatively short-term difficulties that everyone agrees can arise for some people immediately after treatment." (p. 214)
The statement is typical of the shallow and disingenuous character of the book. To claim that it's not your goal to establish whether ECT causes memory problems, i.e., to imply that you are taking a "neutral" stance, and then proceed to argue... more info

So much research was ignored:

This book is a great disappointment. So much research was ignored, research that would contradict the authors' point of view.
That's a shame in a book which has been promoted as a major contribution to the body of work on ECT. It has completely ignored (once again) the viewpoints and experiences of shock patients. To have excluded so much literature that would counter the authors' conclusions seems to prove that patients really don't matter; paternalism does.
I am just stunned, as are many of Dr.... more info

Similar Products: