Key points

Women are given ECT about twice as often as men, as is the case for most psychiatric drugs.

Our international survey found that women suffer more memory loss and other adverse effects than men.

Women's depression was alleviated to a lesser extent than men's depression.

About 81 percent of the psychiatrists giving ECT were men, rising to 88 percent in the USA.

Our electroconvulsive therapy [ECT] research team , comprising three women who have had ECT themselves and three clinical psychologists, has conducted the largest ever survey of 858 ECT recipients from 44 countries.

We have already published our findings in terms of memory loss , 1 other adverse effects, 2 efficacy, 3 and the information given to patients prior to EC. 4 Our fifth paper concerns women

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