Electroconvulsive therapy on the rise again in England

ECT stages comeback after years of decline, with thousands treated on NHS despite lack of scientific explanation for effects

The use of electroconvulsive therapy to treat serious mental health problems, a procedure long thought to be in steep decline, is on the rise again in England, a Guardian analysis indicates.

Exclusive data covering four-fifths of NHS mental health trusts in England shows that more than 22,600 individual ECT treatments were carried out in 2015-16, a rise of 11% from four years ago, when about 20,400 were carried out.