Paris Jackson says she underwent ‘painful’ electroconvulsive therapy following suicide attempts
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Paris Jackson has candidly opened up about her experience with electroconvulsive therapy and described the ‘painful’ and ‘gnarly’ side effects.
The 28-year-old singer and daughter of the late star Michael Jackson appeared on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast on Monday (17 August), where she detailed her mental health struggles and how she overcame substance abuse.
She explained that she ‘did nine sessions in three weeks’ of ‘getting electrocuted’ after she was ‘centimeters away’ from attempting suicide - something she had done before, as per Page Six.
Advert
During the episode, Paris recalled how her doctor told her: “It’s not as barbaric as it used to be. They use general anesthetic. You’re knocked out when they shock you.”
Detailing her own experience, she added: “I have a lot of metal [piercings], so I had to replace all the metal in my face with plastic earrings. You go in, you get your hospital gown, they knock you out, strap you down, put a bite guard on your mouth, electrocute you.”
She added: “It helps with the neuroplasticity in your brain. If I’m not mistaken, it’s still the leading most effective form of depression treatment.”
As per Mind, electroconvulsive therapy, known as ECT for short, is a treatment that involves sending an electric current through your brain.
This causes a brief surge of electrical activity, also known as a seizure, and the aim is to relieve severe symptoms of some mental health problems.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that doctors only use it as a treatment in certain situations.
This includes treating severe depression, if:
- You have a preference for ECT based on your experience of having it in the past
- You need urgent treatment, for example if your life is at risk because you're not eating or drinking
- Other treatments haven't helped, such as medication and talking therapies
The musician explained that the first time she woke up after undergoing treatment, she had ‘the most sharp pain’ she had ‘ever experienced’ inside of her head.
“It’s soreness from getting electrocuted. … I definitely had days completely not in my head at all,” she admitted.
Paris also experienced amnesia, adding: "I'd have friends visit me, and I don't remember even seeing them. I don't remember them coming by.
“I have evidence that a friend came by because she brought me a bag of vapes. But I don't remember her being here at all. I don't remember the conversations we had.”
While Paris says the treatment was ‘working,’ she decided to stop as she knew it was a lifelong commitment.
The star recalled: "There was definitely a point where I had to, I just had to stop because, you know, I was responding to the treatments, and it was working.
"But then there was a discussion of like, well you're either going to be on these two medications for the rest of your life, or you're going to have to come back once a month and continue getting shocked for the rest of your life. And I'm like, that's not going to work for me."
Instead, she started to take 'little bits and pieces of everything along the way' to 'flip [her] life on its ass'.
She explained: “If I’m not integrating the things I learn from these places and these experiences, I’m gonna resort back to how I was feeling before. Without integration, I just kept getting worse and worse.”
The cover for Paris’ upcoming album Happiest Day of My Life, which will be released on 21 August, is inspired by her experiences with ECT, showing her with a bite guard and shock-delivery mechanism.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123 or contact Harmless by visiting their website https://harmless.org.uk.
Topics: Mental Health, Celebrity, Entertainment, Health, News
Madison Burgess