Customer Reviews

Shock: The Healing Power of Electroconvulsive Therapy

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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.

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.

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.

This book is a great "primer" on electroconvulsive therapy. Mrs. Dukakis' personal story helps the reader be less fearful of shock treatments. I have also read another great book about a new FDA approved therapy for depression called "Out of the Black Hole: The Patient's Guide to Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Depression" by Charles E. Donovan with inspiring forwards by John Zakecka, M.D. of Rush Medical and Nancy Williger, Ph.D.

The more weapons we have to fight this dreadful disease the better. Many thanks to Mrs. Dukakis.

Kitty Dukakis is to be commended for her courage in speaking out on her battle with depression, alcoholism and drug dependency. The use of ECT in severely depressed patients remains one of the last taboos in what has become a very public and widely accepted domain of mental health treatment. Ms. Dukakis treats her subject with charming honesty and gives what is clearly a very personal account. In the end, the reader feels as though she has become a friend.

Her co-author, Larry Tye, does not necessarily share her gift for prose. Described as "a personal friend" by Ms. Dukakis, I think her choice may have been sadly misguided by her feelings. Tye's writing could best be described as awkward, and I found myself many times reading a sentence two or three times before understanding it. After the first chapter, I started playing a little game with myself: count the number of times he repeats the words "ebullient", "golden age", "halcyon days", "heyday" and "lumped [in]". He quotes dozens of studies on ECT that involved so few patients as to be insignificant, and most of his information dates back from the advent of ECT and its first decade of use. Tye provides very little useful information for those considering ECT today and trying to make an informed decision.

Read this book for Kitty Dukakis' candor, but be prepared to be bored silly by Tye's clinical assessments.

My Psychiatrist mentioned ECT Treatments some time ago and I immediately dismissed the suggestion based on my ignorance of it. I was uninformed and afraid of it. But, after reading this book, I'm going to bring up the subject of ECT Treatments next session. I don't know what will happen, but ECT is now an option for me to at least seriously consider.

By the way, I really liked the format the authors used alternating chapters. I wish other medical books were written in a similar fashion. Thank you to both authors for having the courage to write such a wonderful book. Believe me when I tell you, I know how much anti-psychiatry sentiment is in the world. It troubles me, but I can understand when survivors speak out. Mental Illness is so very difficult in so many ways.

My hat is off to Kitty for sharing this very personal struggle and experience with ECT. She is a very brave and strong woman and tremendously inspiring. Larry Tye has collected and reported more facts and information about ECT then I have found so far, in an unbias way. This is a good resource that provides information for anyone considering ECT treatment should and needs to know, pro's and con's, benefits and risks, fact and fiction, in order to make a truly informed decision whether ECT is an option for them.

For anyone with a desire to learn more about ECT and certainly EVERYONE thinking about having ECT, this is a good book to read. The book fills a void that was despritely needed.

The circumstances that force us to make a choice tend to be the very circumstances that cloud our judgment. Not helping is the hysteria and hyperbole that pass for information on the internet. A psychiatric crisis is not the time to carefully weigh ECT's pros and cons. Making a rational decision is best done well ahead of time, while we have our wits about us. Read "Shock," do further research, and make up your own mind.

This book is excellent--it shares a personal experience, and also provides recent data regarding ECT. I would recommend it to anyone who suffers from severe depression or knows anyone who does.

My psychiatrist has suggested ECT for me and recomended this book to me. It is an interesting book, but did not do much to calm my fears. I would still recomend the book, especially to family members of anyone considering ECT, it might help them better understand what happens.