Electroshock Beneficial?

Over winter break, I read Wishful Drinking a memoir by Carrie Fisher.  For those of you who do not know of George Lucas’ six year saga, Star Wars, or otherwise live under a rock, Fisher portrayed the female lead, Princess Leia.  She also gains some fame as Debbie Reynolds’ daughter, of Singin’ in the Rain fame.  From Fisher’s novel’s name, you can guess that she delves into her alcoholism, but also her bipolar disorder and other life difficulties.  She writes her life from the perspective of an amused onlooker, because of some memory loss due to recent shock therapy.  And thus, my blog post begins.  It astonished me to think of electroshock or electroconvulsive therapy, its modern title, as an acceptable form of contemporary treatment.  She even mentioned those with whom she shares “electrocompany” including Judy Garland, Ernest Hemingway, and Cole Porter.  From Ken Kesey’s portrayal of electro shock in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, I would not imagine people of such great genius and high esteem to have experienced something so awfully life-changing as EST.  Kesey associates the treatment with “screaming… ‘Brain Burning’… [and] slaughterhouse” which creates a foreboding and unpleasant tone (Kesey 188-190).  Fisher even mentioned how Kesey’s view of EST dissuaded her: “[Her] only exposure of it was Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest… traumatic, dangerous, and humiliating” (Fisher 13).  But Fisher’s real-life experience with electroconvulsive therapy ended positively, in contrast with much of Kesey’s novel.  And even having lost many of her life’s memories, Fisher seems to have a comical if not positive view of the event.  She says her memories “are lost—along with the crippling feeling of defeat and hopelessness.  Not a tremendous price to pay when you look at it” (Fisher 11).  Sarcastic undertones or not, Fisher poses an interesting exchange.  Would you rather keep your memories along with your debilitating depression or lose your memories and gain happiness?