title: Knowledge, experience & attitudes concerning electroconvulsive therapy among patients & their relatives.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is used frequently in developing countries, but investigations of patients' awareness and perception of ECT are rare. The present study thus attempted a comprehensive examination of knowledge, experience and attitudes concerning ECT among patients treated with brief-pulse, bilateral, modified ECT, and their relatives.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of the 153 recipients of ECT, 77 patients and relatives were eventually assessed using questionnaires designed to evaluate their awareness and views about ECT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients were middle-aged, poorly-educated, often unemployed, with chronic, severe, and predominantly psychotic illnesses. Relatives were mainly parents, older, better-educated and usually employed. Apart from the very rudimentary aspects, patients were largely unaware of the procedure. Though most did not find the experience of ECT upsetting, sizeable proportions expressed dissatisfaction with aspects such as informed consent, fear of treatment and memory impairment. Although patients were mostly positive about ECT, ambivalent attitudes were also common, but clearly negative views were rare. Relatives were significantly likely to be more aware, more satisfied with the experience and have more favourable attitudes towards ECT, than patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results endorse the notion that recipients of ECT are generally well-disposed towards the treatment, but also indicate areas where practice of ECT needs to be improved to enhance satisfaction among patients and relatives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rajagopal
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakrabarti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grover
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khehra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires