The Star Wars actress revealed to Oprah that she receives electroshock treatment to deal with her bipolar disorder, and according to the San Jose Mercury News, many others also seek out this treatment when elaborate pill cocktails yield no benefits.
David, a 40-year-old small- business owner in San Francisco, spent about 10 years working to lift what he calls “bone-shattering depression” with 50 to 55 combinations of up to 10 different psychiatric drugs. David is a fictitious name used to protect his anonymity.
“At times, my depression got to the point where it was almost a psychopathic level,” he says. David says that he was diagnosed with chronic major depression.
Yikes. [SJ Mercury News]
Image via Shutterstock
Que
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 7:59 AMYikes? You obviously have never looked after or met a patient who is dependent on ECT. This is literally a life saver for them.
This article would be just as ridiculous if it found surprise that defibrillation for a cardiac arrest was still being used (uses electricity as well!!).
Maybe ‘one flew over a cookoos nest’ is not a great reference when posting articles.
olearymo
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 9:01 AMYeah I gotta agree… this article is a little naive and obviously hasn’t looked at the facts.
Just because ECT has been abused by some in the past, and has a pop-culture perception… they’re just reinforcing that.
And the picture is ridiculous.
Jack
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 8:58 AMThat picture is f*cking crazy representation :P
MELT THEIR BRAINS!
Martin
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 9:53 AMECT practices have been made much safer in the last 20 years. Memory loss is a common side-effect, but it returns in a few days. It is life-saving and always the last line of treatment.
TK
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 11:27 AMThat image is pretty f*#king offensive. I lost a close friend recently who suffered from bipolar for many years, ECT treatment was one of the many treatments he had to go through, an extremely unpleasant experience, but I’m glad you find the humour in it, asshole.
olearymo
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 2:32 PMYeah, Giz I really gotta join in here and say the picture is offensive.
Any chance of having it changed?
Questioning
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 3:43 PMWhat bothers me most is that I find it more offensive the ignorance of the text Gizmodo have used to introduce the Mercury news article.
I don’t doubt ECT can be a terrible experience but for some it may not be. All forms of treatment or medication should be approached with caution.
I don’t agree think you can blanket approach ANY treatment type.
What works for one patient can have terrible results for another.
If a reader does not go any further than your introductory article and had not read the Mercury article (and let’s face it a lot of people skim read anyway), the impression they are left with isn’t necessarily a well informed one.
I have also lost people (yes, more than one) close to me who committed suicide after years of suffering with bipolar conditions. ECT may not have been the answer but if I had been less ignorant I may have been better equipped to help.
As a writer, I would hope one of your core concerns would not just be to inform the public, but to also inform them with an objective, balanced viewpoint unless this is intended to be an editorial? If it is an opinion piece, I apologise in advance.
Oh and last of all I must admit I am personally not offended by the image but I do find it a strange choice to accompany the article and can see how it could be taken badly.
Matt L
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 4:03 PMDon’t worry Giz, Carrie Fisher played the part of a woman with Bi-Polar in the comedy film Drop Dead Fred…
Steve
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 4:38 PMECT does wonders for a great many patients and one of the biggest problems neurologists face is pop culture relics like One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest has irreparably ruined the reputation of one of THE most effective treatments out there.
Material like this perpetuates a cycle of ignorance and navel-gazing, especially when the tone of the article is so scathing and the included picture is someone being electrocuted.
“Heh heh. So funny!”
Stef
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 10:27 PMI really hope this article didn’t intend to take the piss, but it sure comes across that way. As someone who has had ECT numerous times, I really found this article offensive.
chris
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 10:35 PMohhh, i wanna see this picture… the one above isn’t bad at all so i’m gueeing its been changed.