I'm shocked: informed consent in ECT and the phenomenological-self

Patrick Seniuk
2018 Life Sciences, Society and Policy  
This paper argues that phenomenological insights regarding selfhood are relevant to the informed consent process in the treatment of depression using electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). One of the most significant side-effects associated with ECT is retrograde amnesia. Unfortunately, the current informed consent model does not adequately appreciate the full extent in which memory loss disturbs lived-experience. Through the philosophy of Merleau-Ponty, it is possible to appreciate the way in which
more » ... emory loss affects a person's self-experience, with emphasis given to one's pre-reflective and embodied, relationship with things in the world. This paper aims to demonstrate that proper informed consent should acknowledge the extent to which repeated ECT treatments affect a patient's sense self.
doi:10.1186/s40504-018-0068-z pmid:29442207 pmcid:PMC5811419 fatcat:vx3yezm2mzeozjji7a5fqb23da