Paris Jackson has revealed that she underwent electroconvulsive therapy after seeking help at five different institutions and going through a "conveyor belt of medications" to treat her declining mental health.
The 28-year-old daughter of Michael Jackson opened up about her mental health during an appearance on Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast, admitting she turned to the controversial procedure after feeling as though she had "tried everything."
Electroconvulsive therapy, also known as ECT, is a treatment that involves sending an electric current through the brain to relieve severe symptoms of certain mental health conditions.
Jackson recalled her psychiatrist assuring her before the procedure that "it's not as barbaric as it used to be, they use general anesthetic. You're knocked out when they shock you."
She ultimately completed nine sessions over three weeks before deciding to stop the treatment.
"You go in, you got your hospital gown, they knock you out, strap you down, put a bite guard on your mouth, electrocute you," Jackson recalled.
Electroconvulsive therapy procedure and side effects
Jackson explained that the treatment is intended to promote brain recovery, noting: "It helps with the neuroplasticity in your brain. If I’m not mistaken, it still is the leading most effective form of depression treatment."
She admitted that the first few treatments were painful while medical staff worked to determine proper pain relief for her after each session.
"The first couple of times it is because they're still figuring out how much, you know, Tylenol or Toradol to give you afterwards," she said.
Prior to each session, Jackson had to remove her many piercings and replace them with plastic earrings.
She described the resulting pain as "the most sharp" she had ever experienced "inside of my head," adding that it felt like "soreness from getting electrocuted."
Jackson also remained vigilant about "going under" general anesthesia during the procedure in order to maintain her sobriety.
She described the side effects as "gnarly," revealing that she suffered memory loss and had no recollection of friends who visited her following treatments.
"I definitely had days completely not in my head at all," Jackson said. "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. This is before I quit vaping. But I don't remember her being here at all. I don't remember the conversations we had. You know, amnesia is one of the primary side effects of that."
Deciding to stop treatment and adopting holistic health
Although Jackson saw positive results from the ECT sessions, she eventually decided to cease treatment after learning about the ongoing commitment required to maintain those results.
"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," she said.
"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 f**king work for me."
Instead, Jackson now manages her mental health by "integrating" all the coping tools and techniques she has learned over recent years.
She described taking "little bits and pieces of everything that I gotten along the way over [the course] of those last 2 and a half years, taking everything I possibly could and just completely flipping my life on it's ass and being like, 'how do I do this in a way that is sustainable?'"
She added that a significant part of her approach involved focusing on holistic health.
Previous mental health treatments and album cover inspiration
During the podcast, host Jay Shetty asked Jackson if she sought ECT following a "particular suicide attempt," prompting her to clarify her experience.
"It wasn't an attempt," she said. "I got very close. I got very, very close, like centimeters away. It was after I felt like I tried everything. I mean, like I said, the conveyor belt of medication, 5 different institutions, CBT, DBT, EMDR. I'd done somatic, I had done experiential."
She added: "I talked to the empty chair. I'd held the pillow. I had beaten the things with bats while screaming."
Her experience with electroconvulsive therapy directly inspired the artwork for her upcoming music project.
Jackson revealed that the cover of her new album, Happiest Day Of My Life, depicts her receiving the treatment.
"That time was actually what inspired the album cover because I actually did do ECT," she explained.
Jackson has pursued music like her famous family and is releasing her new album, Happiest Day Of My Life, on August 21.
Medical context on electroconvulsive therapy
According to the Mayo Clinic, "Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure done under general anesthesia. During this procedure, small electric currents pass through the brain, intentionally causing a brief seizure. ECT seems to change brain chemistry, and these changes can quickly improve symptoms of certain mental health conditions."
The medical center notes that while the treatment has faced public stigma, it is "much safer today."
"Much of the stigma attached to ECT is based on early treatments in which high doses of electricity were given without medicines to put people to sleep. This led to greater pain, more fear and anxiety, fractured bones, and other serious side effects," according to the Mayo Clinic.
Therapy updates, past struggles, and six years of sobriety
Jackson has since taken a break from therapy, but she is currently seeing a behavior specialist to address her obsessive compulsive disorder.
The daughter of the late King of Pop Michael Jackson has been candid about her struggles with depression and drug abuse over the years.
In a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone, she shared that several of her tattoos conceal track marks from drug use as well as self-harm scars.
She revealed at the time that she had attempted suicide "multiple times" before attending a therapeutic school in Utah, which she described as "great" for her.
"I’m a completely different person," she told Rolling Stone in 2017. "I was crazy. I was actually crazy. I was going through a lot of, like, teen angst. And I was also dealing with my depression and my anxiety without any help."
The publication noted at the time that she was "sober and happier than she's ever been," having given up drugs and alcohol while continuing to smoke menthol cigarettes.
In January 2026, Jackson marked six years of sobriety, posting on Instagram: "sobriety was the best decision i ever made."
If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988, or visit 988lifeline.org.
