Electric dreams

David Walsh makes several good points in his article “It’s not wrong to take antidepressants” (Perspective, 17 October). Having used them and a range of other treatments for depression myself, I don’t think people ask for them unnecessarily. Nor do people readily seek help for mental illnesses, when they may need it. It’s still rather a taboo subject, but thanks to David Walsh and other prominent people being willing to speak about their experiences, maybe the stigma will reduce.

Also, there is still a lot of misunderstanding and suspicion surrounding treatment by ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy). Maybe the name itself doesn’t help, nor the fact that it’s usually a last resort treatment, after others have failed. It is a very effective treatment in the right circumstances, with a reported 70 per cent success rate.

In 2015, 367 patients received ECT in Scotland. Of these, three quarters were much or very much improved following ECT, having been rated as markedly, severely or extremely ill before treatment. Yet its success rate is not widely reported or appreciated. We may have heard of the Care Quality Commission and the Chief Inspector of Prisons: but do we know anything about The Scottish Electroconvulsive Therapy Accreditation (SEAN)? Scottish Hospital ECT suites are carefully monitored and inspected by SEAN. Both announced and unannounced visits are made to all 18 ECT treatment centres in Scotland, each of whom are accredited or accredited with excellence in the latest published report.

I was treated with ECT after a long spell of illness and owe my full recovery to the skill, dedication and care of one such ECT department.

FIONA GARWOOD Ormidale Terrace, Edinburgh

David Walsh’s article is a mix of facts, figures and personal opinion about the complexity of the issue. The author bravely describes his own experience – where he recovered without resort to antidepressants.

The prospect of early intervention for mental health issues is indeed welcome – but not if it includes antidepressants! Where the piece falls down is the apparent complete ignorance of the terrible harm that some people suffer as a consequence of taking antidepressants and the well-known problem that antidepressants can (especially initially or at the time of any change of dose) make some people feel suicidal.

When antidepressant prescribing is soaring – and more and more children and young adults are being encouraged to “get help” for feeling anx-