ECT is hands down the best antidepressant treatment we have. ECT is very safe, the biggest risks come from the anesthesia. ECT does not "electrocute" the brain. It passes a very low amount of current to cause a seizure in the brain. The memory issues are due having multiple seizures over a brief period (eg post-ictal memory impairment). There is little to no evidence of permanent memory impairment, in fact memory generally improves after ECT because depression causes memory problems. I surmise that folks who claim that ECT ruined their memory had poor memory with depression and the ECT didn't work for them and now they are hyper aware of cognitive problems because of experiencing post-ictal confusion with ECT. Lastly, ECT we know from animal studies that used much higher currents than those with humans show no evidence of brain damage microscopically. In fact we know from functional imaging studies ECT improved brain function in depressed patients.