Key points

1144 people have responded to the first ever international survey of ECT recipients and relatives.

The first paper based on the survey found that most people felt they had received inadequate information.

The second paper found that most people reported ECT either made no difference or made them worse.

The researchers call for a suspension of ECT pending placebo-controlled trials of it.

I have previously written here about the efficacy and risks of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), the information ECT patients are given, its regulation, and its use on children .

Last year, I announced the launch of the first international survey of ECT recipients and their relatives and friends. The research team, three clinical psychologists ( Lucy Johnstone , Chris Harrop

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