Opponents of electric-shock therapy are calling for a ban on its use in the elderly after a new study shows they are at increased risk of permanent brain damage. The Press (New Zealand) Feb 7 2007 By KAMALA HAYMAN The elderly, women and people with lower IQs are the most vulnerable to brain damage, particularly memory loss, according to the first large-scale study on the long-term effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). About 300 patients a year are given ECT ... (more...)

Added: Feb 7, 2007 11:10 am | 16 Comments |  Email This Post  | Print

ect.org note: This article is appearing in numerous publications and websites, so to avoid repeating the same information again and again, an ongoing list of publications will be posted below. ----------- Forbes Electroconvulsive Therapy Causes Permanent Amnesia and Cognitive Deficits, Prominent Researcher Admits 12.21.06, 3:38 PM ET NEW YORK, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a stunning reversal, an article in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology in January 2007 by prominent researcher Harold Sackeim of Columbia University reveals that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) causes ... (more...)

Added: Dec 22, 2006 5:05 pm | 54 Comments |  Email This Post  | Print

by Linda Andre Director, CTIP The Cognitive Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Community Settings NIMH-funded research study published in the January 2007 issue of Neuropsychopharmacology Author and primary investigator: Harold Sackeim Funding: NIMH grants #35636, Affective and Cognitive Consequences of ECT, funded since 1981 for a total of approximately ten million dollars so far (grant has been renewed through 2009) #59069, ECT Practices in Community Settings---Evaluating Outcomes, funded since 1999 for a total of approximately 3.5 million dollars so far Summary: ... (more...)

Added: Nov 24, 2006 3:24 pm | 24 Comments |  Email This Post  | Print

Memory and cognitive effects of ECT: informing and assessing patients Advances in Psychiatric Treatment (2006), vol. 12, 228 238 Harold Robertson & Robin Pryor Abstract: Over the past few years electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has come under increased scrutiny in the UK, with the first systematic review of patients’ experiences and new national guidelines. Our aim in this article is to translate recent and sometimes confusing research and policy statements into practical guidance that benefits patients. We examined the evidence ... (more...)

Added: Jul 31, 2006 11:52 am | 11 Comments |  Email This Post  | Print

NZPA | Tuesday, 27 November 2007 A committee of MPs says electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) should only be used as a treatment of last resort. Under ECT, specialised medical equipment is used to induce an epileptic seizure by passing a small electrical current across the brain. Parliament's health select committee has been considering a petition by doctor Helen Smith who wants ECT to be voluntary, and its use with children, pregnant women and ... (more...)

Added: Dec 14, 2007 11:11 am | Comment |  Email This Post  | Print

New Zealand Herald November 06, 2007 By Chris Barton It happens more often than you'd think. A person arrives at a mental health unit in a psychotic state and is immediately put into a seclusion room. Mental health consumer adviser Vicki Burnett tells the story of patient A. "When psychotic, she thought she was on fire and her hands were on fire. Put into a seclusion room, all the walls appeared to her to be on fire. I can't ... (more...)

Added: Nov 12, 2007 4:37 pm | Comment |  Email This Post  | Print

Electroconvulsive Therapy Causes Permanent Amnesia And Cognitive Deficits, Prominent Researcher Admits Medical News Today Dec 22 2006 In a stunning reversal, an article in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology in January 2007 by prominent researcher Harold Sackeim of Columbia University reveals that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) causes permanent amnesia and permanent deficits in cognitive abilities, which affect individuals' ability to function. "This study provides the first evidence in a large, prospective sample that adverse cognitive effects can persist for an extended period, ... (more...)

Added: Dec 22, 2006 4:01 pm | 6 Comments |  Email This Post  | Print

29 November 2006 Scoop Independent News First Annual Report of the Office of the Director of Mental Health released The first annual report by the Office of the Director of Mental Health has been released today by the Ministry of Health. The publication provides a record of the work the office does and reports on some of the activities of District Inspectors of Mental Health and the Mental Health Review Tribunal. It is part of the office's accountability to ... (more...)

Added: Dec 22, 2006 2:01 pm | 4 Comments |  Email This Post  | Print

ABC News (Australia) Nov 18 2006 The chief psychiatrist in New South Wales has defended the use of electric shock therapy in the state's hospitals. Government figures show the use of electric shock therapy has doubled in NSW in the past decade and more than a dozen children under the age of 14 have been given the treatment. But Associate Professor John Basson says the perceived increase is not accurate because records of electric ... (more...)

Added: Nov 19, 2006 12:05 am | Comment |  Email This Post  | Print

By Clare Masters November 18, 2006 The Daily Telegraph CONTROVERSIAL electric shock treatment is making a comeback in NSW hospitals, with new figures showing the use has doubled in the past 10 years, including on schoolchildren. Federal Government statistics show the use of Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT) – electric shock delivered to the brain – has risen in the state from 2093 in 1994-1995 to 5291 in 2005-2006. The Medicare statistics recorded 16 cases in the five to 14 age ... (more...)

Added: Nov 19, 2006 12:02 am | 2 Comments |  Email This Post  | Print

The Scotsman Oct. 8, 2006 KATE FOSTER CHIEF REPORTER (kfoster@scotlandonsunday.com) DOZENS of psychiatric patients were given electric shock treatment without their consent in Scottish hospitals last year despite huge controversy over the safety of the treatment. Almost 10% of patients given electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) underwent the procedure as a compulsory treatment for severe depression, according to figures seen by Scotland on Sunday. Last night doctors revealed some patients are forcibly held down and anaesthetised for the procedure, prompting grave concerns ... (more...)

Added: Oct 9, 2006 9:43 pm | 3 Comments |  Email This Post  | Print

Sarah Hall Oct. 4, 2006 Norwich Evening News 24 Health bosses have come under fire today after it was revealed that almost 3,000 patients have been given electric shock therapy in the past three years to treat depression and other mental health problems. Campaigners have called electro-convulsive therapy (ECT), barbaric and claimed patients' lives were being ruined. Figures obtained from the West Norfolk Primary Care Trust and the Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust under the Freedom ... (more...)

Added: Oct 4, 2006 4:40 pm | Comment |  Email This Post  | Print

Worcester News Sept. 14, 2006 MENTAL health care patients in Worcestershire are given nearly 700 electric shock treatments a year, new figures have revealed. According to the statistics, the controversial electroconvulsive therapy has been administered 3,400 times in Worcestershire since 2001 - more than any of the 27 health trusts nationwide that have provided figures apart from Leicestershire. The therapy involves electrodes being attached to the head and an electric current being passed briefly though the electrodes to the ... (more...)

Added: Sep 14, 2006 9:37 pm | 2 Comments |  Email This Post  | Print

Shock rise in electric treatment Published: 21st August 2006 The Local The use of electric shocks in psychiatric treatment has more than doubled in the last five years in Sweden. In 2000 around 18,000 electric shock treatments were administered in Sweden, according to statistics presented by Swedish Radio. Five years later that figure is 40,000. Electric shock therapy began to be used during the 1930s. Today the method is used primarily on patients who are psychotic, or suffering from deep ... (more...)

Added: Aug 22, 2006 12:39 am | 7 Comments |  Email This Post  | Print

19 August 2006 By GEOFF TAYLOR stuff.co.nz An opponent wants to stop shock treatment for the mentally ill, but medical experts believe it has positive results. Geoff Taylor reports. More than one in four people at Waikato Hospital who get electric shock treatment do not consent. One opponent calls the statistic barbaric, but medical staff say her views are based on out-dated ideas of the treatment. They say electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) is performed under general anaesthetic and allows many mentally ill ... (more...)

Added: Aug 20, 2006 12:43 am | 2 Comments |  Email This Post  | Print