Jolt

My Electric Journey out of Darkness
Part-memoir, part-medical history, the author charts his own journey through electroshock treatment while investigating its history and lingering horror in our cultural memory.

In the tradition of Susannah Cahalan's Brain on Fire and Hadley Freeman's Good Girls, this is an intimate, deeply researched story of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) by the celebrated Smithsonian editor, memoirist, and essayist.

Before I can tell you about the shock treatment, I should tell you about the horse tranquilizer.

Ted Scheinman struggled with depression his whole life, but never like this. At thirty-five years old, he'd tried nearly everything. As antidepressants, therapy and powerful sedatives like ketamine proved ineffective, his mental health continued to deteriorate, along with his relationships and any hope of a happy life. Only one medical option remained: electroconvulsive therapy.

Like most people, Ted felt a shiver down his spine. ECT occupies a singular place in our cultural memory. For decades, many patients were famously subjected to it against their will - and even today, many associate it with horrifying images of convulsing bodies. But Ted had a bigger fear: if ECT didn't work, he might be lost forever.

Jolt: My Electric Journey Out of Darkness follows Ted's descent into and emergence from major depression as he undergoes ECT. The electricity proved remarkably successful, but at great cost: ​Ted's memory began failing him, and he was now missing major episodes from his life. In order to understand the relationship between memory and mental health, he investigates the history of this most controversial of treatments - which he credits with saving his life, and which, he discovers, saves tens of thousands of lives each year. But if ECT is so effective, why do doctors only recommend it as a treatment of last resort?

What emerges is both an inquest into the nature of mental health and a beautiful, funny, and philosophical memoir about what we're willing to sacrifice to have a chance at life.

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