Michael Jackson’s Daughter Paris Jackson Underwent Electroconvulsive Therapy

Paris Jackson has opened up about the extent of her mental health struggles, revealing that she underwent electroconvulsive therapy after seeking treatment at five different facilities and cycling through what she described as a “conveyor belt of medications.”

The 28-year-old daughter of Michael Jackson spoke candidly about the difficult chapter during an appearance on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, explaining that she turned to the controversial treatment after conventional approaches failed to bring relief.

By the time she considered ECT, Paris said she felt she had “tried everything.” Electroconvulsive therapy involves passing a controlled electric current through the brain and is sometimes used to ease severe symptoms linked to certain mental health conditions.

She remembered her psychiatrist trying to reassure her about the procedure, saying “it’s not as barbaric as it used to be, they use general anesthetic. You’re knocked out when they shock you.”

Paris said she went through the treatment nine times before ultimately deciding to stop.

“You go in, you got your hospital gown, they knock you out, strap you down, put a bite guard on your mouth, electrocute you,” Paris recalled, describing the experience in stark terms.

‘It helps with the neuroplasticity in your brain. If I’m not mistaken, it still is the leading most effective form of depression treatment.

‘I did nine sessions in three weeks.’

Jackson said the first few times she did ECT were painful as they figured out the correct pain medication to give her.  

‘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.

Jackson said she has been vigilant about ‘going under’ in order to maintain her sobriety.  

Paris – who had to replace her many piercings with plastic earrings before the procedure – described the pain as ‘the most sharp’ she had ever experienced ‘inside of my head.’  

‘The first time I woke up and it was the most sharp pain I’d ever experienced inside of my head,’ describing the pain as ‘soreness from getting electrocuted.’  

Paris called the side effects ‘gnarly’, admitting she had no recollection of the friends who visited her after the procedure.  

‘I definitely had days completely not in my head at all. 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.’   

Paris saw results with ECT but eventually decided to stop after learning she would have to continue receiving treatment in some form for the rest of her life. 

‘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.

‘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.’ 

Now Paris approaches her mental health by ‘integrating’ all the tools she has learned over the years.  

Now Paris ‘integrates’ everything she has learned over the years  

‘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? And a lot of it had to do with holistic health.’ 

Shetty asked Paris if she sought ECT treatment following a ‘particular suicide attempt,’ prompting her to clarify: ‘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. 

‘I talked to the empty chair. I’d held the pillow. I had beaten the things with bats while screaming.’  

The experience she had with ECT has remained with Paris and even served as inspiration for the cover of her new album, Happiest Day Of My Life, which sees the singer receiving the treatment.  

‘That time was actually what inspired the album cover because I actually did do ECT,’ she said. 

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 treatment has faced stigma but is now ‘much safer today,’ according to Mayo Clinic. 

‘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,’ it continues.  

Paris has since taken a break from therapy but is now seeing a behavior specialist to address her obsessive compulsive disorder. 

Paris, 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 2017, she told Rolling Stone that several of her tattoos conceal both track marks from drug use and self-harm scars.

She revealed she had attempted suicide ‘multiple times’ and then went on to study at a therapeutic school in Utah, which she said was ‘great’ for her.

‘I’m a completely different person,’ she said. ‘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,’ she added.

The Rolling Stone article noted at the time she was ‘sober and happier than she’s ever been’ and only caved into menthol cigarettes.

In January 2026, Paris marked six years of sobriety. ‘sobriety was the best decision i ever made,’ she posted to Instagram.  

If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org