Dimensions of Power: Older Women’s Experiences
with Depression
and Electroconvulsive Therapy
A Research Study by Alison Orr, MSW.
Although the cognitive, physical and even
the psychological impact of Electroconvulsive
therapy (ECT) has been investigated
through research, the wholistic impact of
how older women experience ECT has not
been investigated. Similarly, the study of
depression from the point of view of older
women has not been well addressed. My
interest in this topic arose
through the past nine
years having both professionally
and personally
dealt with many older
women who have been
diagnosed with depression
and a number who
have been treated with
ECT. The use of ECT
and all of its controbersies intrigued me but
not necessarily from the point of view of its
efficacy. My supposition from the beginning
was a rejection of the dominant ideologies
that seemed to form the basis of research
into both depression in women and
ECT use. Both seem to reflect a rather
essentialist view which fails to look past
dominant biomedical ideology. I wanted to
transcent this view by developing a better
understanding from the perspective of older
women, which was grounded in feminist
and post-modernist theory. In order to further
knowledge in these areas, in-depth
personal interviews were conducted with
six women over the age of
65 who had experienced
depression as an older
adult and been treated with
ECT.
Qualitative analysis of
their transcribed interviews
revealed that the dominant
theme of power cross-cut
all these women’s experiences.
The most prominent example of
power being the relationship dynamic between
the healthcare professionals and the
women. The findings from this study help
provide a deeper understanding of the role
power plays in the lives of these
women within the healthcare system
and holds important implications
for service delivery and the
process of informed consent.
Alison is a Clinical Consultant with the Vancouver Coastal
Health Authority.
