These quotes come from real patients and relatives, collected as part of scientific research on shared decision-making regarding ECT. The quotes have been carefully adapted to protect privacy. To this end, names and ages have been changed. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental.
Source: Rovers J, Schönberger L, Loef D, van Eijndhoven P, Verwijk E, Somers M, Dols A, Tendolkar I. Exploring the Decision-Making Process for Electroconvulsive Therapy in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder and Their Relatives After Treatment. J ECT. 2025 Feb 17. doi: 10.1097/YCT.0000000000001106.
Experiences from patients and their relatives
‘”After ECT, I finally felt motivated to do things again, like walking, cycling and playing golf. I hadn’t felt that in a very long time. Maybe not to the same extent as before, but clearly much more than before the treatment. That’s how I knew ECT was helping me.”
Hans – 64 jaar – patient
‘”It’s hard to imagine now how I used to be —saying no to everything and losing interest in everything. After ECT, that feeling disappeared. I feel like myself again, someone who enjoys life to the fullest!”
Irene – 52 – patient
“I was amazed at how quickly I improved —really within just a few weeks. My friends noticed it too.
I was cheerful again, enjoying life and had stories to share. Unfortunately, the improvement only lasted a few months after stopping ECT and since then I’ve more or less slipped back to where I started.”Lina – 48 – patient
“The most important thing is that I got my cheerful partner back. That’s the biggest benefit of ECT. We can go on holiday with the kids again—something that would have been impossible a year ago.”
Senne– 30 jaar – relative
“What still makes the biggest impression on me is when friends talk about old memories and I simply don’t remember them. It feels like I wasn’t part of it. Even shortly after ECT, that hasn’t changed yet, though I hope those memories return.”
Naomi – 32 – patient
“During and after ECT, there were definitely memory problems —forgetting appointments was especially common. My partner also lost parts of the memory of her hospital stay. Maybe that’s not entirely a bad thing. Some moments, like playing games with other patients, she does remember, but most of that time is gone. Thankfully, she’s now able to keep track of appointments again.”
Lucas – 72 – relative
‘When the psychiatrist first mentioned ECT, I was terrified. I immediately thought of that film where shocks were used as punishment. I wanted no part of that. The psychiatrist explained that this image is outdated and doesn’t reflect modern ECT, which is done under anaesthesia. Still, I was scared. The nurses walked me through everything step by step with photos, which gave me more confidence. Now, having gone through it, I know it’s a controlled, scientific treatment. My view of ECT is much more positive now.”
Maria – 78 – patient
“When I told my friends I was going to have ECT, almost all of them said, ‘I would never do that. Isn’t there another option?’ That was no help at all. You realise how much easier it is to talk about physical illness than about depression—let alone ECT. It’s still not fully accepted. Luckily, my parents supported me throughout the treatment and I often brought them along to my appointments with the psychiatrist.”
Jayden – 28 – patient
“What helped me most in deciding to have ECT was hearing about other people’s experiences. By chance, a month before starting, I read an interview with someone who had already gone through it. I recognised myself in that story—I had also been ill for more than a year and medication, therapy and hospitalisation hadn’t helped. I used to think you had to be much worse off to receive ECT
and I was hesitant. But reading that story gave me the courage to take the step. I’m glad I did.”Esmée – 66 – patient
Supported by
