A survey of attitudes on the use of electroconvulsive therapy.

Electroconvulsive therapy in recent years has received extensive coverage in the mass media, much of it negative. However, little can be found in either the professional literature or the popular press on the attitudes of professionals, patients, and the general public toward ECT. A questionnaire study of 587 individuals drawn from these three categories shows an over-all favorable response to the use of ECT, despite the presence of significant differences in response among members of each category. The implications of the findings for current practice and research are discussed.