Shock: The Healing Power of Electroconvulsive Therapy | 
 enlarge | Authors: Kitty Dukakis, Larry Tye
Publisher: Avery
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $3.59
You Save: $21.36 (86%)
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Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 65975
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 1.2
Dewey Decimal Number: 616.89122
ASIN: B000MR8TGS
Publication Date: September 14, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
An important and powerful book about electroconvulsive therapy and its comeback.
For more than twenty years, Kitty Dukakis battled severe depression with every medication and treatment available. But it wasn't until she tried electroconvulsive therapy- ECT-that she began getting her life back for good. Written with award-winning medical reporter Larry Tye, Shock is both the personal story of how ECT dramatically changed Kitty Dukakis's life as well as a captivating look at the science behind ECT, the controversy surrounding it, and the history of its intriguing rebirth in this country.
Shock explores the stigma afflicting ECT-still a treatment that many hospitals do not administer-and debunks long-held misconceptions about how it is performed. Though some continue to view ECT as a dangerous, even barbaric, procedure, as this book explains there is no scientific evidence to suggest that ECT damages the brain. It can cause side effects like memory loss, but they generally are not far-reaching or long-lasting, especially when newer, lower-impact techniques are employed. In fact, the U.S. surgeon general and the National Institutes of Health agree that for severe depression ECT is safe, and often more effective than antidepressants or psychotherapy.
An eye-opening and powerful book about one of the most contentious medical treatments in history, Shock demystifies ECT and brings to life-through Kitty Dukakis's moving account -its impressive capacity to heal. For the millions who suffer from depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental illnesses, it offers real information, practical guidance, and hope.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Electroshock Therapy Kit for Home May 25, 2008
Bartok Kinski (Prague)
0 out of 9 found this review helpful
This 'self-electroshock' therapy unit is designed for home use, only needs two AAA batteries and a certificate from the state board of health. If you think a doctor of psychiatry is expensive and you get one who usually is neurotic, and sitting on an Italian leather sofa is both boring and deranged then this will be very good for you as you can not only administer shocks to your own frigid body when you want but you can avoid seeing a nut case shrink altogether. Only for mildly depressed people and individuals who think they see green ghosts walking along old gray carpets.
 At last, a rational dsicussion March 23, 2007
John McManamy
The circumstances that force us to make a choice tend to be the very circumstances that cloud our judgment. Not helping is the hysteria and hyperbole that pass for information on the internet. A psychiatric crisis is not the time to carefully weigh ECT's pros and cons. Making a rational decision is best done well ahead of time, while we have our wits about us. Read "Shock," do further research, and make up your own mind.
The New ECT March 9, 2007
TCB (Michigan)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I found this book to be very informative, but I wish that Kitty Dukakis would have given more on her personal experiences with the actual treatment.
 Shock electro consulsive theropy-Dukakis January 19, 2007
justin woods (roanoke, Va)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you have a loved one that suffers from depression this book will help you understand.
Extremely Balanced Book January 5, 2007
Ruth Z. Deming (Willow Grove, PA)
29 out of 32 found this review helpful
As a psychotherapist and a woman who has experienced clinical depression myself, I found this book of immense value to recommend to others who may seek the relief afforded by the newer and much improved unilateral shock treatments (ECT), originally pioneered by Italian physician Ugo Cerletti (1877-1963).
In alternating chapters, Kitty Dukakis (the former Katharine Dickson, b. 1936, daughter of Boston Pops' director) writes her candid accounts of the treatment that saved her life, while journalist Larry Tye discusses the historic evolution of the treatment, which includes other desperate measures throughout history to help people suffering from mental illness. His thorough reporting makes for excellent though often gruesome reading.
Kitty herself is a marvel. The mother of three adoring children and wife of former Mass. governor Michael Dukakis, she suffered from an underlying depression, later diagnosed as bipolar disorder, since a teen, when, like her mother, she popped diet pills as if they were candy. Later on, she became an alcoholic, hiding her bottles from her family, as do many alcoholics.
With amazing candor that is certain to help others, she shares the steps of her recovery that include the unconditional support - and asking of the right questions - of her wonderful family. Currently, Kitty, at age 69, is on no medication for her depression, but has regular ECT every 8 or so months, under the care of her longtime trusted physician at Mass. General Hospital.
No one truly knows why ECT works. Writes Kitty, "I used to deny when a depressive episode was coming... I knew how much it would hurt, how long the darkness would last.... Now I know there is something that will work and work quickly."
When her husband lost his 1988 Presidential bid, Kitty admitted publicly about her depression and checked into a hospital. She received a beautiful note from Betty Ford, who suffered from the same condition.
This is a wonderful book that gives the depression sufferer exactly what they need: information and hope. It belongs on the shelves of local libraries and in the offices of mental health agencies. A helpful Epilogue is included at the end, including a note on "How to plan for memory loss."
Again, the treatment has far advanced from its earlier days and should be considered in treatment-resistant cases, where its amazing success rate is between 80 and 90 percent.
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