ECT can be beneficial – and patients should have the right to choose

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I have personally met many people with bipolar who’ve told me they wouldn’t still be here if it wasn’t for ECT (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The article describing Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) as “dangerous” in last week’s Independent triggered a passionate debate in our eCommunity. Many voices are saying ECT has been life-changing, often life-saving.

When people with bipolar are at their most unwell, they, and their doctors, often have to make difficult decisions about treatment, weighing up the benefits with potential side effects.

I have personally met many people with bipolar who’ve told me they wouldn’t still be here if it wasn’t for ECT. The suicide rate is 20 times higher for people with bipolar, so our position as a charity and a collective voice for those with the condition is that they need as many treatment options as possible.