How popular is Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for treating mental health issues in the UK?
It is still used widely in the UK but it is steadily decreasing year on year. Most courses of treatment are voluntary and only in extreme circumstances would it be used without consent. Current NICE guidelines recommend that cognitive behavioural therapy or other psychotherapy should generally be tried before ECT is used. I have been a mental health patient for the past 18 years and I have nevr come across someone who has undergone ECT. There is a lot of info on wikipedia on the Electroconvulsive therapy page that has a lot of references to research if you feel inclined.
