In research questionnaires and surveys, open questions can sometimes be more revealing than closed questions. I have already reported here on how respondents to our international survey about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) answered closed questions, such as did you experience this or that benefit, or this or that negative effect.

The latest paper emanating from our survey reports the responses to two simple, open questions: "Please list up to three positive effects of ECT" and "Please list up to three negative effects of ECT." We asked these questions right at the start of the survey, so that respondents could not be influenced by the later questions about specific benefits and side effects.

A total of 776 ECT recipients, from 41 countries, offered at least one positive or negative effect.

About half (49 percent) reported one or more positive effects, but almost all (97 percent) reported one or more negative effects.

About half (51 percent) reported only negative effects, 46 percent reported a mixture of positive and negative effects, and 3 percent reported only positive outcomes.

The most frequently reported positive effects were improved mood (23 percent), reduced suicidality (13 percent), and reduced........

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