When All Else Fails

Long Haul: Public Radio Documentaries to Go!

"When All Else Fails" is a first-person account of a man undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), formerly known as electroshock. Rob MacGruder tells of his lifelong battle with bipolar disorder and how ECT has repeatedly saved his life. The story follows MacGruder for almost a year as he falls into a severe depression, undergoes a series of ECT treatments and gradually recovers. During that time, MacGruder loses his job, and loses his children to the state. Produced in 2002. Winner: 2003 National Mental Health Media Association’s Media Award.