The Portrayal of ECT in American Movies

Abstract

Having commenced its movie career as a severe but helpful remedy for personal distress, ECT on film has become a progressively more negative and cruel treatment, leaving the impression of a brutal, harmful, and abusive maneuver with no therapeutic benefit.

Representations of ECT in English-Language Film and Television in the New Millennium

“…1,2 In the short film Broken (2009), the patient emerged with a nosebleed. Fatal ECT outcomes were shown in 2 movies: The Ward (2011) and Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings (2004).…”

On-Screen Portrayals of Mental Illness: Extent, Nature, and Impacts

“…Various ''framing'' techniques are used to indicate that characters with a mental illness are different from other characters. Filmic devices such as the individual point of view, close-up shots, discordant music, atmospheric lighting, setting selection, and scene juxtapositions are frequently employed (Hyler, Gabbard, & Schneider, 1991;McDonald & Walter, 2001;Rose, 1998;Sieff, 2003;Wilson, Nairn, Coverdale, & Panapa, 1999a). Pejorative language-e.g., terms like ''crazy,'' ''psycho,'' ''deranged,'' and ''loony''-is often used by other characters in reference to the character in question (Goldstein, 1979;Wahl, Wood, Zaveri, Drapalski, & Mann, 2003;Wilson et al, 2000).…”

“…Later examples include Dressed to Kill (1980) in which the protagonist is presented as a deranged psychiatrist with gender identity issues who violently attacks women (Diefenbach et al, 1998;Fleming & Manvell, 1985). Still other examples can be found in Spellbound (1945), Nightmare Alley (1947), and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) (Clara, 1995;Diefenbach et al, 1998;Greenberg, 1992;Macfarlane, 2004;McDonald & Walter, 2001;Pies, 2001;Schneider, 1977Schneider, , 1987. .…”

“…Newman MD (1963) and The Three Faces of Eve (1957) (Clara, 1995;Diefenbach et al, 1998;Greenberg, 1992;Macfarlane, 2004;McDonald & Walter, 2001;Pies, 2001;Schneider, 1977Schneider, , 1987). Schneider's (1977Schneider's ( , 1987 taxonomy has been widely quoted and provides a framework within which to consider film and television portrayals of mental health professionals.…”

“…The largest of these studies is that of McDonald and Walter (2001), who observed a range of inaccurate, negative presentations of ECT in 20 films depicting such treatment. Electroconvulsive therapy was most commonly prescribed as a treatment for antisocial behaviour, and then as a treatment for various psychotic 532 J. Pirkis et al…”