UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 22nd April 3:01AM ET/8:01AM BST
Families and friends speak out on electroconvulsive therapy’s silenced risks
Loved ones of patients who have received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) say it diminishes quality of life and some believe it can even cause brain damage.
A new international study documenting the perspectives of families and friends of people receiving ECT, finds that the treatment can lead to long-term negative impacts on standard of living and personal relationships, raising concerns that current disclosure practices may fail to provide patients with an evidence-based overview of potential risks.
The study – a collaboration between independent researchers, including three ECT recipients, and the University of East London – is the largest of its kind, including 286 relatives and friends across 22 countries.
While 45% of respondents reported an improvement in the specific psychiatric problem for which ECT was being prescribed, 42% thought it had made the problem worse. 61% reported that the treatment diminished the patients’ overall quality of life and 34% believed the treatment had caused brain damage. On three different measures, between 51% and 73% of relatives reported significant memory loss in their loved ones, with the majority stating these effects lasted at least three years, indicating permanent damage.
Respondents also reported a range of adverse effects rarely discussed in clinical settings, including patients having difficulty concentrating (79%), patients’ emotional blunting - where a person experiences a numbing of both positive and negative feelings (73%) - and loss of independence (72%), as well as significant relationship problems resulting from the treatment (70%).
The study, published in the British Psychological Society’s scientific journal Psychology and Psychotherapy, highlights the emotional cost experienced by relatives, with many describing their grief at the loss of the person they had once known. Others described the burden of caring responsibilities because of the cognitive and physical damage to their loved on, while some talked about their guilt at not having stopped the treatment from happening.
Eight respondents explicitly reported that ECT was “a direct cause” of the death of their loved one, and a further 19 said they thought ECT was “a partial/indirect contributor to the death”.
Professor John Read, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of East London and co-author of the study said:
“Relatives are often the ones to pick up the pieces when a patient returns home, witnessing first-hand the effects of ECT on a patient’s ability to work, love and remember their own life. That is why it is important to track the full breadth of experience by everyone impacted.
"These findings highlight the necessity to be fully transparent about the efficacy and risks of ECT to both patients and relatives. Without this level of detail, the consent provided by patients and their loved ones may not meet the requirements of informed consent."
Dr Chris Harrop, a Clinical Psychologist and first author of the study said:
“It is a scandal that relatives and friends have not been properly asked about their experience with ECT until now. Their conclusions are deeply alarming, with so many reporting such terrible outcomes. I salute their courage and fortitude.”
Lisa Morrison, co-author of the study, and an ECT recipient, said:
“Ignoring patient-reported harms and the severely disabling effects of ECT for some people, whilst promoting it as a safe and effective treatment, is a human rights failing. Mental health services spent years trying to 'fix' my depression and suicidality with medications and electricity. They were understandable given the traumas I had experienced. This only caused me and my family more harm. We continue trying to heal together.”
Lisa Morrison’s husband, Gary Morrison, said:
“ECT diminished so much of the essence of what made my wife who she was. After treatment, she seemed to regress to a childlike state, her extreme fragility and vulnerability meant she had to be carefully nurtured. I was desperate for something to help her. There is something profoundly cruel about people being given hope that electric shocks would bring healing to a loved one and later being confronted with the trauma it caused. I wish I had known then what I know now.”
Sarah Price Hancock, co-author of the study, and also an ECT recipient, said:
“I am relieved there were some family members who reported that it was "life-saving," but as I read the responses from so many family members and friends with negative experiences, my heart broke again and again, thinking of the familial relationships destroyed.”
Sarah’s father, John Price:
“The immediate effects of my daughter’s ECT were startling: memory loss. We are, after all, the sum of our memories. She knew I was her father, but she did not remember anything about our relationship. I was told this would be short-term. They lied.
“Even worse was the long-term effect on her physical health. It was a prescribed massive electrical injury, again, and again, and again. Typical long-term results of multiple electrical injuries include neurological damage, depression, anxiety, PTSD, migraines, hearing loss, reduced cognitive abilities, and/or attention difficulties, along with chronic pain. She got most of those, plus some extra.”
Notes to editors
Professor John Read, Lisa Morrison, Gary Morrison and Sarah Price Hancock are available for interviews, please contact pressoffice@uel.ac.uk /020 8223 2133 to arrange.
An image of Professor Read is available upon request.
The attached report is the penultimate draft - while the core findings and data are finalised, the document is currently undergoing final layout and proofing. The full paper will be available at: DOI:10.1111/papt.20062
About the University of East London: The University of East London (UEL), founded in 1898, is a careers-first university dedicated to empowering students with the skills, experience and networks they need to thrive in a changing world. With over 40,000 students from more than 160 countries, UEL places social mobility, inclusive excellence and real-world impact at the heart of its mission. Based in Stratford and the Royal Albert Dock, UEL is shaping a healthier, fairer and more sustainable future through transformative education, research and innovation. In 2026, UEL is celebrating another Year of Health, which includes launching a new Health Campus that will address health inequalities and foster innovation in the sector. For more information, visit www.uel.ac.uk .
Additional quotes for publication:
Rosie Weatherley, Information Content Manager at Mind said: “It is essential that the experiences of family members are recognised, especially with a controversial treatment like ECT which can have such a big impact on family life.
“Mind echoes concerns raised by this research - the evidence base for ECT has never been fit for purpose and this latest study further substantiates the need for a re-think about whether and when this treatment is offered to patients.”
Study details:
Harrop, C., Cunliffe, S., Hancock, S.P., Johnstone, L., Morrison, L., Read, J. An international survey of the relatives and friends of electroconvulsive therapy recipients. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice
Related publications based on the same survey:
Read, J. Cunliffe, S., Hancock, S.P., Harrop, C., Johnstone, L. Morrison L. (2025). ‘The self-reported positive and negative effects of electroconvulsive therapy: an international survey’, Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
51% reported only negative effects; 46% reported mixed outcomes
Read, J., Cunliffe, S., Hancock, S.P., Harrop, C., Johnstone, L., Morrison, L. (2025). A survey of ECT recipients, family members and friends: Are the self-reported reasons for their problems being addressed? International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. doi: 10.1111/inm.70187
Most patients not given any help for the reasons they believe caused their problems (eg abuse, loneliness etc,)
Morrison, L., Cunliffe, S., Hancock, S.P., Harrop, C., Johnstone, L., Read, J. (2025). Electroconvulsive therapy and women: an international survey. Health Care for Women International. https://doi:10.1080/07399332.2025.2568222
Women receive ECT more often than men and suffer greater adverse effects
Read, J., Cunliffe, S., Hancock, S.P., Harrop, C., Johnstone, L., Morrison, L. (2025). The adverse effects of electroconvulsive therapy beyond memory loss: An international survey of recipients and relatives. International Journal of Mental Health, https://doi.org/10.1080/00207411.2025.2576946
17 adverse effects reported by more than half of ECT recipients
Read, J., Harrop, C., Morrison, L., Hancock, S.P., Johnstone, L., Cunliffe, S. (2025). A large exploratory survey of ECT recipients, family members and friends: What information do they recall being given? Journal of Medical Ethics, doi:10.1136/jme-2024-110629
Most respondents found the information given to them inadequate
Read, J., Johnstone, L., Hancock, S.P., Harrop, C., Morrison, L., Cunliffe, S. (2025). A survey of 1144 ECT recipients, family members and friends: Does ECT work? International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.70109
Most respondents reported, on multiple measures, that ECT either made no difference or made matters worse
Read, J., Hancock, S.P., Morrison, L., Johnstone, L., Harrop, C., Cunliffe, S. (2025). A survey of 1144 ECT recipients, family members and friends: Incidence, severity and duration of memory deficits. Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry. http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/EHPP-2025-0009 .
Most reported memory loss that lasted more than three years
Psychology and Psychotherapy Theory Research and Practice