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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Rachel Hall

Electroconvulsive therapy may have more adverse effects than thought

An ECT machine in a UK hospital in 2017.
An ECT machine in a UK hospital in 2017. One expert said very few people were aware that ECT was still performed as a treatment. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian

Electroconvulsive therapy could be causing a wider range of adverse effects when used to treat depression than previously understood, according to a paper that calls for the practice to be suspended pending more robust research.

Although short- and long-term memory loss is widely known to result from ECT, the research identified 25 further concerning side effects, which included cardiovascular problems, fatigue and emotional blunting.

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