Thank you for your interest in the patient perceptions of, and experiences with, electroconvulsive therapy survey. The goal of this survey is to collect the thoughts of patients who have had electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This survey is not looking for particularly negative or particularly positive experiences with ECT, but, rather, both or anything in between. If you have strong feelings about ECT and have not actually had the treatment, you may complete the survey also.
To take the ECT survey, please click this link.
Who Is Running This ECT Survey?
My name is Natasha Tracy and this ECT survey was my idea. I am running this survey with Dr. Prakash Masand, the psychiatrist behind the site Global Medical Education which aims to educate others, particularly doctors, about medical issues such as those surrounding mental illness.
For my part, I have bipolar disorder and have had ECT for bipolar depression. This has made me passionate about the subject as I see the extreme debate that goes on about this treatment online.
Why Is This ECT Survey Being Run?
Patient perceptions of ECT and their experiences with ECT are very important because I feel that this real information from real patients is not clearly known and understood; rather, people make global assumptions about how people experience this treatment. I feel this needs to change. I feel that patients need a voice when it comes to discussing this treatment and that their voice should be accurate and not be represented simply by those who holler the loudest.
What Is Being Done with the Data Being Collected?
As some of you may know, I had my first paper, also published with Dr. Masand, published in a peer reviewed journal in 2014. You can find this paper, Results From an Online Survey of Patient and Caregiver Perspectives on Unmet Needs in the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder, here.
I hope to use this ECT survey data for a new paper, to be written with Dr. Masand. We will be submitting this paper for publication in a peer reviewed journal.
What Is the Ultimate Goal of the Survey?
I would like to use this ECT survey data to elucidate those who are interested in ECT (such as psychiatrists) and for those who are considering getting the treatment. Before I got treatment, I found it very difficult to find reliable information on how patients experienced the ECT and I hope this survey will solve that problem, at least to some degree.
Frequently Asked Questions about this ECT Survey
- Are my answers anonymous?
Absolutely. No information is being collected about responders. You will be asked for your gender and age only for statistical purposes.
- What will I be asked about?
You’ll be asked about your experiences with ECT, the side effects you may have experienced and your feelings about the treatment as a whole.
- Do I have to have had the treatment to take the survey?
No. While I am, specifically, looking for patient perspectives, those who have not had the treatment but have strong opinions may also respond to the survey.
- Do you have any conflicts of interest?
There is no funding from any outside source for this project. I do not receive funding from anything to do with ECT on any other front either. Dr. Masand also reports having no conflicts of interest in this matter.
I really hope you’ll take a few minutes and complete this ECT survey, here.
If you have any further questions about this survey or you have a press request, please contact me here.
Sign-Up for the ECT Survey Email Updates
We will be sending out occasional updates about what is happening with the survey, the survey data and the resulting paper. Sign up for these email updates here:
Banner image by SalFalko.
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