Kitty Dukakishas battled debilitating depression for more than twenty years. Coupled with drug and alcohol addictions that both hid and fueled her suffering,Kitty'sdespair was overwhelming. She tried every medication and treatment available; none worked for long. It wasn't until she triedelectroconvulsive therapy, orECT, that she could reclaim her life.Kitty'sdramatic first-person account of how ECT keeps her illness at bay is half the story ofShock. The other half, by award winning medical reporterLarry Tye, is an engrossing look at the science behind ECT and its dramatic yet subterranean comeback. This book presents a full picture of ECT, analyzing the treatment's risks along with its benefits. ECT, it turns out, is neither a panacea nor a scourge but a serious option for treating life threatening and disabling mental diseases, likedepression,bipolar disorder, and others.ThroughKitty Dukakis'smoving narrative, and interviews with more than one hundred other ECT patients,Shock: The Healing Power of Electroconvulsive Therapyseparates scare from promise, real complications from lurid headlines. In the processShockoffers practical guidance to prospective patients and their families, boldly addressing the controversy surrounding ECT and awakening millions to its capacity to heal.