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Lynne Lamberg

JAMA. 2007;298:1147-1149.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

San Diego—A course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) every 9 or 10 months keeps her cyclic depression at bay, Kitty Dukakis said in an invited lecture at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) here in May.

Dukakis, the wife of former Massachusetts governor and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, hopes her candor will help counter inaccurate and harrowing portrayals of ECT, such as those in the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, based on Ken Kesey's 1962 novel.

Although studies have demonstrated that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective and safe treatment for severe major depression, inaccurate perceptions of ECT contribute to lingering stigma and fear regarding its use. (Photo credit: Will McIntyre/www.sciencesource.com)

"Patients who are not helped by antidepressant medications and psychotherapy should not have to suffer for months, and in some cases, years, without ECT being an option," . . . [Full Text of this Article]

SAFE METHOD OF DELIVERY