Life forever damaged and broken by ECT, by Jane London (14 March 2019)

Summary

In this blog for the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, Jane London shares her account of how electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has affected her life since early adulthood, resulting in severe memory loss and heart problems. Jane shares how her physical medical problems including appendicitis and a severe heart attack were put down to depression, and how she was nearly forced to have ECT against her will in England in 1966. When her abusive marriage ended in 1968 and Jane returned to Australia her mother insisted she have ECT, despite her depression being temporary and related to her marriage ending. After 14 treatments, Jane left the treatment facility and received talking therapy to help her recover. Jane talks about the dramatic adverse effect ECT has had on the rest of her adult life.