Am J Psychiatry 1975; 132:77-79
Copyright © 1975 by American Psychiatric Association
Reasoned discourse or a holy war: postscript to a report on ECT
FH Frankel
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. 02215.
The author points out that both favorable and unfavorable opinions
regarding the value of electroconvulsive therapy have become entrenched in
the absence of adequate data. These opinions are discussed in relation to
the training, experience, and personal orientation of the psychiatrist. The
inability of some psychiatrists to tolerate uncertainty is held responsible
for their denial of the validity of alternative methods of treatment. The
author recommends that psychiatrists tolerate a certain amount of ambiguity
and uncertainty: postponing closure may lead to the conclusion that
treatment styles (including use of psychotherapy and ECT) are not mutually
exclusive.
