"It doesn't have to be perfect to work. If it saves your life, isn't that more important?" – Natalie. Natalie has lost almost three decades’ worth of memories. She can’t remember giving birth to her children. She used to be a nurse but has forgotten her training. The memory loss happened after Natalie underwent multiple sessions of electroshock therapy to treat severe depression. But she says the memory loss is worth it . The treatment worked. She can now get through the day without the debilitating, dark moods and suicidal thoughts. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also known as electroshock therapy, is used to treat people with conditions like mania, psychosis and severe, treatment-resistant depression. In Australia, the number of ECT treatments has almost doubled in the last ten years, with just under 30,000 sessions taking place in the last financial year. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists says ECT "is a highly therapeutic procedure with a strong evidence base". Most people don’t suffer the extreme memory loss that Natalie had, but short term memory loss is common. ECT can also have a high relapse rate, and many patients need "maintenance ECT" just to stay on an even keel. This week, Insight lifts the lid on a highly stigmatised treatment which is changing patients’ lives in all sorts of ways.