Trending...
- Proto-Punk Legends The Dictators Release First New Studio Album In 23 Years
- Agenda Announced for Creative Tech New York 2024
- Seven & i Holdings Comments on the Press Release from Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.
Encouraged by its decline, CCHR, a patients' rights watchdog, launches a series exposing the downfall of electroshock treatment and its long-term dangers, including brain injury.
LOS ANGELES - Nyenta -- The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International, which helped get electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) banned on minors in California nearly 50 years ago, hails the current decline in the use of shock treatment. Fewer psychiatrists are willing to administer ECT and in October 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that there has been a dramatic decline in its use.
CCHR argues that growing consumer awareness and court rulings on informed consent—including making electroshock device manufacturers liable for failing to inform of brain damage—could spell the practice's demise—which CCHR urges.
It disputes the current claim that 100,000 Americans receive electroshock treatment each year, as it is based on a study that is 30 years old. No federal agency tracks the number of people electroshocked, despite the practice causing severe memory loss and brain injury. It has often fallen to CCHR to obtain the information through Freedom of Information Act requests to states.
A sample of 27 states providing statistics on the use of ECT under Medicaid in 2023, revealed only 3,641 people given it at a cost of nearly $9 million—no longer the multi-billion-dollar money spinner it has been. Compared to 2020, for example, Vermont decreased its use by 57.7% and Massachusetts by 40.4%, making the practice redundant.
"The truth is that a very small minority in the medical community still accept and strongly advocate for ECT shock therapy," according to one Los Angeles law firm litigating on behalf of ECT survivors. "It was recently estimated that fewer than 1,000 psychiatrists practice ECT in the U.S., out of a national total of approximately 49,000 psychiatrists."[1]
CCHR recently distributed its documentary, Therapy or Torture: The Truth About Electroshock to thousands of attorneys across the country, offering facts that consumers are not told by those administering ECT.
More on Nyenta.com
The amount of involuntary use of ECT in the U.S. is unknown, yet a July 2018 UN Human Rights Council report determined that forced ECT constitutes "torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." The 2023 WHO and OHCHR guidance on Mental Health, Human Rights, and Legislation reiterates that ECT without consent "may constitute torture and ill-treatment."
The guidance notes: "In Slovenia and Luxembourg, ECT is not available" and there are "there have been calls for it to be banned altogether." Without this, patients must be apprised of "potential short- and long-term harmful effects, such as memory loss and brain damage."
In October 2018, a California court ruled there was sufficient evidence for a reasonable jury to find that an ECT device caused brain injury. The manufacturer settled the case and posted on its website that ECT may cause permanent brain damage.[2]
In an email produced during a deposition, a psychiatrist and CEO of an ECT device manufacturing company, revealed this was not for patient protection, but the "goals of the warning statement" were "one, to prevent lawsuits, and two, not alienate psychiatrists."[3]
On June 20, 2024, the California Supreme Court made a landmark decision that a patient could sue the manufacturer for not giving a stronger warning about risks. The company did not dispute it failed to warn doctors of the risk of brain damage and permanent memory loss.[4]
Electroshock was first discovered in 1938 by Italian psychiatrist Ugo Cerletti who used it on pigs in a Rome slaughterhouse to quell their fear of being killed. Cerletti understood the effects ECT had when he experimented on patients: "When I saw the patient's reaction I thought to myself: this ought to be abolished!" Eighty-five years later, psychiatrists were still fixated on electroshocking pigs.
In a 2023 study, researchers, including the CEO of the ECT device maker, shocked a pork shoulder in an attempt to disprove cellular brain damage.
However, Kenneth Castleman, Ph.D., a biomedical engineer who has served on advisory committees for The National Institutes of Health and NASA, explains ECT-caused cell death: "Electrical energy is converted into heat inside the brain, raising its temperature. The larger the current, the more heat is produced. If the temperature gets too high the cells will suffer temporary injury, permanent damage, or even death." Additionally, through a process called "electroporation," the production of pores by electrical means, when the voltage is high enough, the "holes produced are too many and too large, thereby overwhelming the repair mechanism. Toxic material rushes in, and the cell dies. ECT risks brain cell damage both from heating and from electroporation."
More on Nyenta.com
A 2009 Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences study on electrical injury also notes: "Four mechanisms of cellular injury by electricity are presently known. They are the direct effects of the current, thermal burns, mechanical injury due to falls, and electroporation."[5]
Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Clinical Professor at the Department of Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, Davis, says that "The amounts of electrical energy introduced to the human brain by ECT machines can be nothing but harmful and dangerous" and can be "expected to cause cellular physiologic, biochemical, and anatomic injuries to the human brain."[6]
ECT device manufacturers have never undertaken clinical trials to determine the safety and efficacy of their machines and psychiatrists admit they don't know how ECT or "electricity" works.
Experts say electroshock is more brutal today than how it was portrayed in the Academy-Award-winning film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975 because the voltage and amperage used is higher than in the past.
CCHR calls for all electroshock treatments to be prohibited.
If you or someone you know has been harmed or damaged by electroshock, please submit a report to CCHR here.
CCHR was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and professor of psychiatry, Thomas Szasz, securing hundreds of laws providing patient protections in the mental health industry, including banning deep sleep treatment involving electroshock.
[1] www.wisnerbaum.com/defective-medical-device-injuries/ect/
[2] www.madinamerica.com/2019/06/ect-litigation-patients-not-warned-brain-damage-risk/
[3] www.wisnerbaum.com/blog/2023/august/electroshock-therapy-ect-trial-jury-finds-somati/
[4] www.wisnerbaum.com/blog/2024/june/wisner-baum-prevails-in-landmark-win-for-patient/
[5] Brandon C. Bryan, et al., "Electrical Injury, Part 1: Mechanisms," Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Vol.1, No. 3, 1 July 2009
[6] www.wisnerbaum.com/defective-medical-device-injuries/ect/
CCHR argues that growing consumer awareness and court rulings on informed consent—including making electroshock device manufacturers liable for failing to inform of brain damage—could spell the practice's demise—which CCHR urges.
It disputes the current claim that 100,000 Americans receive electroshock treatment each year, as it is based on a study that is 30 years old. No federal agency tracks the number of people electroshocked, despite the practice causing severe memory loss and brain injury. It has often fallen to CCHR to obtain the information through Freedom of Information Act requests to states.
A sample of 27 states providing statistics on the use of ECT under Medicaid in 2023, revealed only 3,641 people given it at a cost of nearly $9 million—no longer the multi-billion-dollar money spinner it has been. Compared to 2020, for example, Vermont decreased its use by 57.7% and Massachusetts by 40.4%, making the practice redundant.
"The truth is that a very small minority in the medical community still accept and strongly advocate for ECT shock therapy," according to one Los Angeles law firm litigating on behalf of ECT survivors. "It was recently estimated that fewer than 1,000 psychiatrists practice ECT in the U.S., out of a national total of approximately 49,000 psychiatrists."[1]
CCHR recently distributed its documentary, Therapy or Torture: The Truth About Electroshock to thousands of attorneys across the country, offering facts that consumers are not told by those administering ECT.
More on Nyenta.com
- New Rochelle: Senior Lunch at Hudson Park
- New Rochelle: Arrangements for Hon. Leonard C. Paduano
- "Monotheism and Devils" is the theologically dedicated sequel of "Prince of Eurasia" of the Islamic cleric and executive producer Prince Oak Oakleyski
- Diisocyanates and Polyisocyanates Market to Grow by USD 13.01 Billion (2024-2028) with AI-Powered Insights, Construction Boom to Drive Revenue - Technavio
- Lumilore: The Original Story of the Dragon Who Glowed by Sabine Ruh House
The amount of involuntary use of ECT in the U.S. is unknown, yet a July 2018 UN Human Rights Council report determined that forced ECT constitutes "torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." The 2023 WHO and OHCHR guidance on Mental Health, Human Rights, and Legislation reiterates that ECT without consent "may constitute torture and ill-treatment."
The guidance notes: "In Slovenia and Luxembourg, ECT is not available" and there are "there have been calls for it to be banned altogether." Without this, patients must be apprised of "potential short- and long-term harmful effects, such as memory loss and brain damage."
In October 2018, a California court ruled there was sufficient evidence for a reasonable jury to find that an ECT device caused brain injury. The manufacturer settled the case and posted on its website that ECT may cause permanent brain damage.[2]
In an email produced during a deposition, a psychiatrist and CEO of an ECT device manufacturing company, revealed this was not for patient protection, but the "goals of the warning statement" were "one, to prevent lawsuits, and two, not alienate psychiatrists."[3]
On June 20, 2024, the California Supreme Court made a landmark decision that a patient could sue the manufacturer for not giving a stronger warning about risks. The company did not dispute it failed to warn doctors of the risk of brain damage and permanent memory loss.[4]
Electroshock was first discovered in 1938 by Italian psychiatrist Ugo Cerletti who used it on pigs in a Rome slaughterhouse to quell their fear of being killed. Cerletti understood the effects ECT had when he experimented on patients: "When I saw the patient's reaction I thought to myself: this ought to be abolished!" Eighty-five years later, psychiatrists were still fixated on electroshocking pigs.
In a 2023 study, researchers, including the CEO of the ECT device maker, shocked a pork shoulder in an attempt to disprove cellular brain damage.
However, Kenneth Castleman, Ph.D., a biomedical engineer who has served on advisory committees for The National Institutes of Health and NASA, explains ECT-caused cell death: "Electrical energy is converted into heat inside the brain, raising its temperature. The larger the current, the more heat is produced. If the temperature gets too high the cells will suffer temporary injury, permanent damage, or even death." Additionally, through a process called "electroporation," the production of pores by electrical means, when the voltage is high enough, the "holes produced are too many and too large, thereby overwhelming the repair mechanism. Toxic material rushes in, and the cell dies. ECT risks brain cell damage both from heating and from electroporation."
More on Nyenta.com
- Vantiva Wins CSI Award for "Best Sustainability Project or Initiative" for Eco-Friendly V7c Android TV Set Top Box
- PitchSlap Prepares to Launch, Promises to Clean Up Your Inbox from Sales Email Clutter
- Amagi and BuyDRM Partner to Secure Streaming Video on PlayMedia's FAST Platform GoPlay
- Inframark Announces New Chief Financial Officer
- Hayloft Big Creek Now Pre-Leasing
A 2009 Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences study on electrical injury also notes: "Four mechanisms of cellular injury by electricity are presently known. They are the direct effects of the current, thermal burns, mechanical injury due to falls, and electroporation."[5]
Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Clinical Professor at the Department of Medical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, Davis, says that "The amounts of electrical energy introduced to the human brain by ECT machines can be nothing but harmful and dangerous" and can be "expected to cause cellular physiologic, biochemical, and anatomic injuries to the human brain."[6]
ECT device manufacturers have never undertaken clinical trials to determine the safety and efficacy of their machines and psychiatrists admit they don't know how ECT or "electricity" works.
Experts say electroshock is more brutal today than how it was portrayed in the Academy-Award-winning film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975 because the voltage and amperage used is higher than in the past.
CCHR calls for all electroshock treatments to be prohibited.
If you or someone you know has been harmed or damaged by electroshock, please submit a report to CCHR here.
CCHR was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and professor of psychiatry, Thomas Szasz, securing hundreds of laws providing patient protections in the mental health industry, including banning deep sleep treatment involving electroshock.
[1] www.wisnerbaum.com/defective-medical-device-injuries/ect/
[2] www.madinamerica.com/2019/06/ect-litigation-patients-not-warned-brain-damage-risk/
[3] www.wisnerbaum.com/blog/2023/august/electroshock-therapy-ect-trial-jury-finds-somati/
[4] www.wisnerbaum.com/blog/2024/june/wisner-baum-prevails-in-landmark-win-for-patient/
[5] Brandon C. Bryan, et al., "Electrical Injury, Part 1: Mechanisms," Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Vol.1, No. 3, 1 July 2009
[6] www.wisnerbaum.com/defective-medical-device-injuries/ect/
Source: Citizens Commission on Human Rights
Filed Under: Health, Government
0 Comments
Latest on Nyenta.com
- What is the Power of We Partners w/ Sakhi for South Asian Survivors to Combat Gender-Based Violence
- New York's JFK T6 to Set a New Standard for Travel Retail in North America in Partnership with Avolta Companies Hudson and Dufry
- Join The Flip Project to Make a Difference This Election
- European E-Signature Market Poised for Explosive Growth by 2030
- STMicroelectronics N.V. Class Action: The Gross Law Firm Reminds STMicroelectronics Investors of the Pending Class Action Lawsuit with a Lead Plaintiff Deadline of October 22, 2024 - STM
- How U.S. Political Debates, Inflation, and Global Markets Shape Economic Outlook in 2024
- Poteau Launches in the U.S., Bringing a New Era of Pickup Soccer for Players Nationwide
- Ekouaer Debuts Collection at New York Fashion Week
- NMG Holding Company, Inc. and The Neiman Marcus Group LLC Announce Expiration and Final Results of Exchange Offer for Outstanding 7.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 and Consent Solicitation
- ISIS Terror Plot Foiled in NYC
- The Ripple Effect Arts, has launched its latest product, Organic Wild Yam Cream, capitalizing on the company's recent viral success on TikTok
- City of Rochester's West River Wall improvements project named APWA Public Works Project of the Year
- Vanda Pharmaceuticals Announces Participation in the 2024 Cantor Global Healthcare Conference
- Prince of Eurasia: Monotheism and Devils — the ultrarare Eurasian theological documentary of executive producer Prince Oak Oakleyski
- Rochester: Motorist advisory: Roadwork on West Main Street to Cause Delays
- City of Rochester's West River Wall improvements project mamed APWA Public Works Project of the Year
- SHAREHOLDER ALERT: The M&A Class Action Firm Investigates the Merger of SPAR Group, Inc. - SGRP
- Vimaan Named in the Gartner® Hype Cycle™ Reports, 2024 for Autonomous Data Collection and Inspection
- Vantiva Unveils ONYX, its latest Smart Media Device with Advanced AI Capabilities at IBC 2024
- Saelig Introduces Ultra-Compact Affordable Amplicon Impact-Pi 100D Industrial PC