I was on maintenance ECT for 2 years with short-courses in between of 3 per week. I know it can break through a treatment resistant depression and has saved lives and quality of life for many (including seniors) the headache afterwards is massive and the short-term retrograde memory loss requires one be living with someone- not alone. I had my drivers lisence suspended while undergoing treatment (restored later when Dr.s intervened with letters to DMV saying no driving on the day of. . .)
The siezure is only 30 seconds but the anethesia takes awhile to wear off. I had bi-lateral and uni-lateral and in the end the voltage upped and depakote lowered to cause a longer seizure. Finally -given that I had been misdiagnosed and its not helpfull for dissociative disoreders- it was stopped 2 years ago. All memory loss from ECT has been restored and no damage to cognitive ability according to nueropsych. testing later. There is GREAT debate on both sides especially the litigeous anti-psychiatry movement.
You be the judge,