Many people are most familiar with electro-convulsive shock therapy from the movie One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. In the film, the treatment is portrayed as cruel and barbaric. But physicians who support ECT say in its modern form it is an effective, painless, and safe treatment for extreme cases of depression. The Food and Drug Administration, in fact, is considering downgrading the treatment’s risk classification. But opponents of ECT say the procedure seriously damages the brain, causing prolonged memory loss. Some are even calling for a full ban. What’s the reality of this controversial procedure? Have you, or someone you know, experienced it first hand?
Guest:
Dr. Peter R. Breggin, a psychiatrist in Ithaca, New York and author of Brain Disabling Treatments in Psychiatry: Drugs, Electroshock and the Psycho-pharmaceutical Complex
Dr. Helen Lavretsky, Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA