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"Without hope, death can establish a foothold. Hope fights fear and nurtures courage. It inspires vision and the work required to realize the unattainable."
--Ron Bassman, member of Support Coalition International and psychiatric survivor
New Zealand: Specialist to review shock therapy
added: Monday, June 2, 2003
The Government has agreed to a review of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), but says it is a safe and important treatment option for severely depressed people.
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I'll defy ECT guidelines, vows top psychiatrist
added: Sunday, May 11, 2003
Scottish medic pledges to flout government ban on long-term use of electroconvulsive therapy. A leading Scottish psychiatrist has pledged to flout government guidelines and continue to give depressed patients regular electric shock treatment for periods of several years.
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Psychiatrists' appeal fails
added: Friday, May 2, 2003
An appeal by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to NICE (the National Institute for Clinical Excellence) to drop new restrictions on ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) treatments, contained in draft guidance, has failed.
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Guidelines on ECT use welcomed
added: Friday, May 2, 2003
Mental health experts welcomed new medical guidelines today for the use of electric shock therapy. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) advised doctors that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) should only be used in cases where all other treatments have failed. The treatment, which involves passing an electric current through the brain, has been used for decades on patients with severe depression or mania. But some have been terrified by the treatment, describing it as demeaning and abusive, especially when administered without consent.
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Use of shock therapy restricted
added: Friday, May 2, 2003
Electric shock therapy should only be used on patients as a last resort, an NHS watchdog has ruled. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has said electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) should also be restricted to certain types of patients. These are those who are severely depressed, are catatonic or who have had a prolonged or severe manic episode. It rejected calls for the treatment to be made available to people with less severe depression or those with schizophrenia.
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Britain Issues Guidance on Use of Shock Therapy
added: Friday, May 2, 2003
LONDON - Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) should only be used to achieve quick improvement of severe symptoms in people with depression, catatonia or prolonged manic episodes, according to new guidelines issued by British authorities on Thursday.
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UK - New guidelines on shock therapy
added: Friday, May 2, 2003
Electric shock treatment should only be used when other options have failed and where patients have been involved in the decision, according to new government guidelines.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) says controversial electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) should only be used to achieve a rapid, short-term improvement after other treatment options, such as drug therapy, have failed, or when the patient's condition is considered to be potentially life-threatening.
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No accurate data on New Zealand shock treatment
added: Thursday, April 24, 2003
The Ministry of Health admits it does not have accurate figures on the use of electric shock treatment in New Zealand. The use of ECT in New Zealand is under scrutiny after Parliament's health select committee asked the Government to review its safety and effectiveness following a 3000 signature petition from the Patients Advocacy Group in Hamilton.
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Shocking but true
added: Thursday, April 24, 2003
Slavery, rape, arrest. They're all just the ups and downs of life for Michelle Shocked, one of the music world's true survivors.
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I forgot giving birth after electric shock treatment
added: Thursday, April 24, 2003
A woman who says she lost her memory after receiving electric shock treatment at Christchurch's Hillmorton Hospital wants the practice outlawed.
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Why gay men flee Bangladesh
added: Thursday, April 24, 2003
Bangladesh, with a population of 133 million, is the ninth-largest country in the world, and the second-largest Moslem country in the world after Indonesia. Bangladesh is also a democracy, with a British-style parliamentary system. The man also reported being raped by police, forced into electroshock treatment and ordered by his family to enter into an arranged marriage.
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Improvement's a shock to system
added: Thursday, April 24, 2003
ELECTRO convulsive treatment (ECT) or electric shock therapy, as it was once known, conjures images of cruel doctors holding mentally ill patients down as they fry their brains with electricity. Yet a little delving into the method will lead one to discover that the treatment is commonly used and effective in beating depression.
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