June 1, 2004
Psychiatric Times.
No. 7
About To Have ECT? Fine, but Don't Watch It in the Movies: The Sorry Portrayal of ECT in Film
Garry Walter, M.D., and Andrew McDonald, M.D.
Dr. Walter is clinical associate professor at the University of Sydney and director of the Thomas Walker Hospital ("Rivendell") of Central Sydney Mental Health Services, Sydney, Australia.
Dr. McDonald is staff specialist psychiatrist at the Canterbury Community Mental Health Centre of the Central Sydney Mental Health Services, Sydney, Australia.
Despite a promising start, the portrayal of ECT in film has been deplorable and with little resemblance to modern practice. The audience is left with the impression of a brutal, harmful and abusive treatment with no therapeutic benefit. It encourages stigmatization and discourages patients from its use. Proponents of ECT will need to rely on tools other than movie portrayal to convince those with mental illness about the merits of this treatment.
References
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2.
McDonald A, Walter G (2001), The portrayal of ECT in American movies. J ECT 17(4):264-274.
3.
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Walter G (1998), Portrayal of ECT in movies from Australia and New Zealand. J ECT 14:56-60.
7.
Walter G, McDonald A, Rey JM, Rosen A (2002), Medical student knowledge and attitudes regarding ECT prior to and after viewing ECT scenes from movies. J ECT 18(1):43-46 [see comment].
