ECT practice in a private clinic in Lahore Pakistan

Abstract

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been an important procedure, ever since its introduction. Despite being a life-saving treatment there remains a great deal of public concern about ECT's continued use. Pakistan is a low-income country and psychiatry in Pakistan is continuously in the evolutionary process. Electroconvulsive therapy provides a welcome relief from the suffering of various mental illnesses for many patients, though its standards and practice vary remarkably. This paper gives a brief overview of ECT practice in a private outpatient clinic in Lahore, Pakistan.

Keywords:

• electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
• low income developing country
• private clinic
• culture
• attitudes
• media
• research

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Professor Dinesh Bhugra, Professor of Mental Health and Culture at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, and the President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, for his comments in the writing of this paper.