Shock: The Healing Power of Electroconvulsive Therapy [Hardcover]

Kitty Dukakis (Author), Larry Tye (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 14, 2006

An important and powerful book about electroconvulsive therapy and its comeback.

For more than twenty years, Kitty Dukakis battled severe depression with every medication and treatment available. But it wasn't until she tried electroconvulsive therapy- ECT-that she began getting her life back for good. Written with award-winning medical reporter Larry Tye, Shock is both the personal story of how ECT dramatically changed Kitty Dukakis's life as well as a captivating look at the science behind ECT, the controversy surrounding it, and the history of its intriguing rebirth in this country.

Shock explores the stigma afflicting ECT-still a treatment that many hospitals do not administer-and debunks long-held misconceptions about how it is performed. Though some continue to view ECT as a dangerous, even barbaric, procedure, as this book explains there is no scientific evidence to suggest that ECT damages the brain. It can cause side effects like memory loss, but they generally are not far-reaching or long-lasting, especially when newer, lower-impact techniques are employed. In fact, the U.S. surgeon general and the National Institutes of Health agree that for severe depression ECT is safe, and often more effective than antidepressants or psychotherapy.

An eye-opening and powerful book about one of the most contentious medical treatments in history, Shock demystifies ECT and brings to life-through Kitty Dukakis's moving account -its impressive capacity to heal. For the millions who suffer from depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental illnesses, it offers real information, practical guidance, and hope.

Editorial Reviews

Review

(Shock) is a balanced review of the benefits and pitfalls of ECT. ...should be read by anyone considering ECT. -- Richard O'Connor, author of Undoing Depression

...a must read for those who want clarity about a treatment shrouded in mystery, at best, and hysteria at worst. -- Martha Manning PhD, author of Undercurrents: A Life Beneath the Surface

...the authors make a convincing case that the treatment benefits a great many desperate patients. -- Jerome P. Kassirer, M.D., Distinguished Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, New England Journal of Medicine

Shock is essential reading for anyone considering psychiatric treatment options. -- The Boston Globe

About the Author

Kitty Dukakis, the wife of former Massachusetts governor and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, is a well-known and much-loved public figure. She revealed her ongoing struggle to overcome depression and her accompanying addictions to alcohol and pills in her 1990 memoir, Now You Know.

Larry Tye is a journalist, and spent fifteen years at the The Boston Globe. He has won numerous awards, including recognition from the Associated Press. The author of three previous books, he has taught journalism at Boston University, Northeastern, Tufts, and Harvard, and now runs a Boston-based fellowship program for medical journalists.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Avery; 1 edition (September 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583332650
• ISBN-13: 978-1583332658
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #939,932 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Balanced Book, January 5, 2007

By 

Ruth Z. Deming "Backyard Trees" (Willow Grove, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shock: The Healing Power of Electroconvulsive Therapy (Hardcover)

As a psychotherapist and a woman who has experienced clinical depression myself, I found this book of immense value to recommend to others who may seek the relief afforded by the newer and much improved unilateral shock treatments (ECT), originally pioneered by Italian physician Ugo Cerletti (1877-1963).

In alternating chapters, Kitty Dukakis (the former Katharine Dickson, b. 1936, daughter of Boston Pops' director) writes her candid accounts of the treatment that saved her life, while journalist Larry Tye discusses the historic evolution of the treatment, which includes other desperate measures throughout history to help people suffering from mental illness. His thorough reporting makes for excellent though often gruesome reading.

Kitty herself is a marvel. The mother of three adoring children and wife of former Mass. governor Michael Dukakis, she suffered from an underlying depression, later diagnosed as bipolar disorder, since a teen, when, like her mother, she popped diet pills as if they were candy. Later on, she became an alcoholic, hiding her bottles from her family, as do many alcoholics.

With amazing candor that is certain to help others, she shares the steps of her recovery that include the unconditional support - and asking of the right questions - of her wonderful family. Currently, Kitty, at age 69, is on no medication for her depression, but has regular ECT every 8 or so months, under the care of her longtime trusted physician at Mass. General Hospital.

No one truly knows why ECT works. Writes Kitty, "I used to deny when a depressive episode was coming... I knew how much it would hurt, how long the darkness would last.... Now I know there is something that will work and work quickly."

When her husband lost his 1988 Presidential bid, Kitty admitted publicly about her depression and checked into a hospital. She received a beautiful note from Betty Ford, who suffered from the same condition.

This is a wonderful book that gives the depression sufferer exactly what they need: information and hope. It belongs on the shelves of local libraries and in the offices of mental health agencies. A helpful Epilogue is included at the end, including a note on "How to plan for memory loss."

Again, the treatment has far advanced from its earlier days and should be considered in treatment-resistant cases, where its amazing success rate is between 80 and 90 percent.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kitty Got it Right, October 12, 2006

By 

J. Sargent (Plant City, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shock: The Healing Power of Electroconvulsive Therapy (Hardcover)

In 1995 my husband had exhausted all traditional treatments for depression. The Duke neurologists sent us to Menninger in Topeka, KS for ECT. My husband had 15 treatments. He left the hospital the week after his last treatment. (He was a retired Executive who had become catatonic in his depressive-state). He then began living again...He returned to his Gentleman's Farm in North Carolina and re-took the reigns. He had more energy than I did, and I was 30 years younger...

Six years later I became depressed. I had had a front-seat observatory of my husband's success and asked my Ft. Lauderdale psychiatrist for "the treatment". Fortunately my doctor was the only doctor practicing in Ft. Lauderdale who used ECT.

He made me wait one full year to be sure I truly wanted ECT. Kitty discusses withdrawing from all medication before the treatment can begin. That is what I experienced. She gives you the play-by-play. You know what to expect from her experiences.

After 5 treatments, I went home and spent a week in the sun. The next week I began working full-time. That was the first time I had worked outside the home in 15 years. I was a productive member of society again. I smiled all day...My life had been returned to me.

I commend Kitty for her bravery. She has tackled a subject shrouded in secrecy, mystery and old myths. She makes the treatment embraceable. Her descriptions are on the money. Her experiences guide us. Gone are the days of "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" depravity. Thanks to her directness, middle-America now has access to another treatment for this horrible disease.

"Shock" is a great read. Kitty creates a text of what my friends and family needed to know in words far more eloquent than mine. This book is educational and filled with cutting-edge information. It SHOULD be read by anyone who ever suffered from depression. And, it WOULD be a great gift to anyone still suffering. It SHOULD be in the library of anyone who has ever had the treatment.

Kitty has created a venue for discussion of Shock Treatment, a subject hushed out of parlors for too many years. In her bravery, she offers straightforward candor and then proves to be an inspiration to all of us. I only wish she had written this book many years earlier.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written, informative and potentially life-saving. A+, September 30, 2006

By 

Still Searching (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shock: The Healing Power of Electroconvulsive Therapy (Hardcover)

Excellent book. Ms. Dukakis was very brave to share her story. I related to so much of her story. Unfortunately for me, electroconvulsive therapy did not work for me.

What finally did work? An out-patient procedure called vagus nerve stimulation. It saved my life. I would recommend a great book about this new FDA approved therapy "Out of the Black Hole: The Patient's Guide to Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Depression." Depression is truely a "black hole" and thankfully I have been out of the "black hole" for over a year.