Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which is a safe and effective treatment option for many of the psychiatric illnesses, is still negatively perceived by lay public. It could be hypothesized this negative view can affect the patients and their relatives. This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes of patients’ and their relatives’ toward ECT.

Sixty-four ECT treated patients were recruited from inpatient units of Bakirkoy Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery. Patients were evaluated with Clinical Global Impression Scale, Mini Mental State Examination and Columbia ECT Subjective Side Effects Schedule. Both patients and their relatives were interviewed by using a questionnaire for assessing attitudes toward ECT.

The mean number of ECT sessions was 8.50 ± 1.85. The most common side effects according to the patients were subjective feeling of slowed down and memory problems. The majority of both patients and their relatives stated that they had not received adequate information about ECT. Moreover, their knowledge about technique and mechanism of ECT was very limited. However, their overall perception of ECT was very positive. The relatives of the patients were more satisfied with the benefits of ECT than the patients.

Although perception of ECT among patients and their relatives was very positive, it should be noted that this was mostly subjective in regard to inadequate knowledge about ECT. Thus, clinicians should pay utmost attention to inform both patients and their relatives about ECT.