4.3 Letters and Telephone Calls.

As well as participants on the day, the publicity for the workshop also attracted a range of letters and telephone calls from E.C.T. survivors to Salford Community Health Council (C.H.C.). These included:

A survivor who had had two courses of E.C.T. in 1997 for manic depression. They considered that it had saved their life, but was worried about the side effects.

A survivor who had had several courses of E.C.T. at Prestwich Hospital over 16 years, the first after being diagnosed schizophrenic. After the first courses of treatment, it had taken two years to recover. Later, when the person decided not to have E.C.T., it took them eight years to reach the same level. "I think you recover quicker with E.C.T. and it cuts the amount of time you are suffering".

A survivor who had recently had E.C.T. at Meadowbrook, reportedly for continuous earache, and who withdrew their consent after a small number of treatments. They described the experience as "awful" and as "a quick conveyor belt process". "Came out of Meadowbrook worse than when I went in. Just a handful of anti-depressants and hope these kept me quiet. Sorry, against E.C.T."

A survivor who had had over 100 E.C.T. treatments at both Prestwich Hospital and Meadowbrook. They reported that, for them, three or four "bouts" helped and that the treatment was followed by a headache, but no memory loss. They said that E.C.T. "lifts a cloud from you and lets the sunlight through".

A survivor who estimated that they had had at least 150 E.C.T. treatments. They reported short-term memory loss, especially for the first 6-7 days after treatment, but that this improves over time. They wrote that "I think it's a small obstacle, compared with not having my sanity . . . If they banned E.C.T. I'd be terrified for the rest of my life."

A son whose mother had had five or six E.C.T. treatments about ten years before while in her eighties for post-influenzal depression, and then again after two and four years. He said that, after each course of treatment, she was "right as rain". His mother was now in good health, very sprightly for her age and with a good memory.

A survivor who had E.C.T. nine years before after a nervous breakdown. This had consisted of only one treatment, due to her husband stopping further treatment, as she had had a fit while going for the second. She now had permanent epilepsy, even though there were no family history of this. She believed that the epilepsy was caused by the E.C.T.

A survivor who had had course of seven E.C.T. treatments. She complained of having vivid and alarming dreams since E.C.T., a poor memory, difficulty in thinking, and problems with both sleeping and cooking.

4.4 The E.C.T. Workshop.

The workshop was held on Wednesday 22 October, 1997, at the Banqueting Suite at Buile Hill Park in Salford. This is a central venue often used for meetings of mental health survivors, which is well away from any hospitals and mental health facilities.

A full lunch was provided at the workshop. Travel expenses reimbursed to all those who wished to claim. Funding for the event was shared between the Mental Health Services of Salford N.H.S. Trust, Salford C.H.C. and Survivors in Salford. Information stalls about Salford C.H.C. and E.C.T. Anonymous were also on show throughout the day.

The workshop attracted 33 participants. It was jointly chaired by Ken Stokes, Vice-Chairperson of Salford Community Health Council and a member of the Project Team, and by Pat Garrett, the Chair of Survivors in Salford. The morning session was for users, survivors, relatives and carers only. This was to allow them to express their views freely and without any fear or pressure of doing this with health professionals present.