Radically Genuine Podcast with Dr. Roger McFillin 199. The Barbaric Truth About Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
Sep 4, 2025
In this discussion, Sarah Price Hancock, a certified rehabilitation counselor and survivor of 116 ECT treatments, shares her harrowing journey through electroconvulsive therapy. She reveals the shocking reality that many still receive ECT without proper safety testing, leading to severe memory loss and neurological complications. Sarah challenges common misconceptions about mental health treatments, stressing the critical need for informed consent and reform in psychiatric care. Her insights highlight the often-overlooked risks of ECT and the importance of understanding mental health complexities.
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Catatonia Felt Like A Brain Filled With Sand
- Sarah describes catatonia as feeling like her brain filled with sand and unable to interact with the world, illustrated by staring at an orange she couldn't peel.
- This visceral account shows why clinicians considered ECT for her severe functional impairment.
Miraculous Paper That Changed Her Care
- Sarah Price Hancock describes waking up clear during ECT treatment and walking to a medical library to retrieve an article about toxic ammonia levels.
- That article led nurses and doctors to test her ammonia, stop the offending medication, and then she gradually recovered from catatonia.
No Modern RCTs Or Safe-Dose Standards
- Modern ECT devices were introduced after placebo-controlled trials stopped, so current devices lack rigorous randomized controlled testing.
- The FDA found insufficient evidence to set safe dosing controls and required further submission in its 2018 ruling.