Friday, March 8, 2002 - HUMAN RIGHTS ACTION ALERT
IT'S FRIDAY: A SEVENTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD MAN IS BEING
ELECTROSHOCKED **RIGHT NOW** AGAINST HIS WILL
IN RIVERVIEW HOSPITAL IN VANCOUVER, CANADA
HE RECEIVES FORCED ELECTROSHOCK *EVERY* FRIDAY
ACTION: YOU CAN E-MAIL THE HOSPITAL CEO TO
FIGHT FOR MICHAEL MATTHEW'S HUMAN RIGHTS!
by Juli Lawrence, director, http://ECT.ORG
VANCOUVER, CANADA: Every Friday,
Michael Matthews, a 71-year-old patient
at Riverview Hospital in Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada receives an
electroshock treatment against his will.
He has continued to tell human
rights activists that he does not want
the treatments, yet he has received
more than 70, according to a hospital
insider who asked not to be named.
"He used to be a delightful
conversationalist with a good attention
span," says the insider. "He had the
sweetest disposition -- something
everyone commented on and appreciated.
We all loved chatting with Michael.
Gradually he has become more and more
agitated, irritable, confused, and
delusional."
Vancouver activist Julie Butler
recently met with Michael, and said
that he was suffering from the typical
effects of electroshock.
"He is suffering from the classic
documented side effects of the
treatment which include long and short
term memory loss, confusion, and
disorientation," says Butler. "When I
first met Michael, burns and bruises
were evident on his temples, which
would also seem to be from the
continued and excessive use of this
treatment."
Riverview Hospital was the center of a
governmental investigation last year
when staff psychiatrist Jaime Paredes
contacted Minister of Health Corky
Evans with concerns over the increased
use of electroshock after the Ministry
increased payments to doctors.
"The number of ECT treatments in the
Geriatric Psychiatry Program at
Riverview Hospital has more than
doubled since fee-for-service was
introduced," wrote Dr. Paredes. "I feel
the machinery and wheels of bureaucracy
are slowly grinding this matter into
obscurity. But it is real people who
are affected, patients with no power
and with no voice."
Paredes, who worked at Riverview 15
years, was fired in December and has
said he believes his firing was a
result of speaking out. He said a
colleague who supported him was also
fired, and another was demoted.
Riverview administrators have denied
that the firings were related to the
controversy and resulting investigation.
Activists have attempted to visit
Michael again, but have been refused
entry by hospital officials.
The hospital insider says that Michael
views the electroshock treatments as
punishment.
"They're trying to get rid of me. They
think I'm a problem," the insider
reports Michael saying.
The insider adds: "Michael talks
to the walls now, falls asleep in
the middle of sentences, tells us he is
probably Jesus Christ, and rambles on
endlessly in total nonsense. It just
breaks my heart."
"Electroshocking elderly people,
particularly women, is ageist, sexist
and elder abuse," says Don Weitz of
Toronto, author of the article
"Electroshocking Elderly People
-- Another Psychiatric Abuse."
"Shocking old and physically fragile
people without informed consent is
increasing at an alarming rate in both
the United States and Canada
-- particularly in Ontario and
British Columbia -- as well as the UK and
probably other European countries,"
Weitz said. "In Ontario during the year
1999-2000, over 2,500 people were
forcibly subjected to over 15,000
shocks."
ECT practitioners continue to say that
ECT is a very safe and effective
treatment, despite the well-known high
relapse rate and extensive side
effects. In a study published in the
_Journal of the American Medical
Association_ last year showed that ECT
is so ineffective at relieving
depression, that nearly all of 290
patients relapsed within six months.
"Since the shock doctors and other
psychiatrists routinely violate the
legal right to informed consent,
virtually all shock is forced. I accuse
the shock doctors in particular and
psychiatry in general with causing
great harm, intentionally misinforming
or lying to their patients and the
public about permanent memory loss and
brain damage, violating medical ethics,
and perpetrating a crime against
humanity," added Weitz.
Calls to administrators and the head of
geriatric psychiatry at Riverview were
not returned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ACTION *** ACTION *** ACTION
Here is an easy way you can help now:
Email, call and/or fax these
Riverview Hospital staff, a
sample message is below.
Marion Suski, Chief Executive Officer
email: msuski@bcmhs.bc.ca
fax: 604-524-7016
Dr. Arlind Kang, Medical Director, Geriatric Psychiatry Program
email: akang@bcmhs.bc.ca
Alastair Gordon, Director of Community Relations
email: agordon@bcmhs.bc.ca
phone 604-524-7378
fax: 604-524-7016
Please keep your message civil.
Please COPY your message to:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SAMPLE E-MAIL MESSAGE TO HOSPITAL STAFF --
use this or put in your own words:
To: msuski@bcmhs.bc.ca, akang@bcmhs.bc.ca, agordon@bcmhs.bc.ca
Copy:
Stop forced electroshock in Riverview Hospital! Stop
the forced electroshock of Michael Matthews! Michael
has repeatedly stated he does not wish to have
electroshock! I request an immediate response.
Optional: Include your name, address, phone, e-mail.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADDITIONAL ACTIONS *** ADDITIONAL ACTIONS
Governmental Contacts:
Honorable Colin Hansen, Minister of Health Services
email: HLTH.Health@gems1.gov.bc.ca
fax: 250-356-9587
Honorable Dr. Gulzar Cheema, Minister of Mental Health
email: gulzar.cheema@gems4.gov.bc.ca
fax: 250-356-8264
Katherine Whittred
Minister of State for Intermediate, Longterm & Homecare
email: katherine.whittred@gems6.gov.bc.ca
fax: 250-356-8264
Gordon Campbell, Premier
fax: 250-387-0087
email: premier@gov.bc.ca
Media Contacts:
CBC - The Fifth Estate
email: fifth@toronto.cbc.ca
fax: (416) 205-6668
phone: (416) 205-6663
Vancouver Sun
email globalbc.newstips@globaltv.ca
fax: 604-421-9427
phone: 604-420-2288
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For your convenience, here are all the e-mail addresses
listed above for the hospital, government and media:
msuski@bcmhs.bc.ca, akang@bcmhs.bc.ca, agordon@bcmhs.bc.ca,
HLTH.Health@gems1.gov.bc.ca, gulzar.cheema@gems4.gov.bc.ca
katherine.whittred@gems6.gov.bc.ca, premier@gov.bc.ca
fifth@toronto.cbc.ca, globalbc.newstips@globaltv.ca
copy:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This human rights alert was prepared by
Juli Lawrence, director of http://ECT.ORG, one
of 100 sponsor groups in Support Coalition
International. For info e-mail to:
For news & photos of other recent Support Coalition
International campaigns against forced electroshock see:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/paul.shtml
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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