Electroconvulsive Therapy: Attitudes and Experience-A Survey of Indiana Psychiatrists

The American Psychiatric Association survey concerning electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was repeated with Indiana psychiatrists. The results indicated that these psychiatrists currently were more accepting of ECT than the earlier, national sample. However, there was agreement between the responses of the two groups on many of the issues. There were important differences between those who used ECT and those who did not. In Indiana, responders administering ECT were significantly more likely to be board certified than those who did not employ the technique. As expected, the users were, in general, more enthusiastic and favorable in their attitude toward ECT. The present survey suggests that there may be a greater awareness of adverse side effects and that improvements suggested in the literature are being adopted by practitioners.