Trending...
- City of Tacoma Offers Virtual Workshop for Organizations New to Local Affordable Housing Development Funding Application Process
- Georgia's Lanier Islands Resort Tees Up for a New Era of Golf in Spring 2026
- Spokane City Council Members Introduce "Immigration Enforcement Free Zones"
Subjecting 100,000 Americans, including children, to electroshock (ECT) constitutes torture, given the risks associated with it, CCHR says.
LOS ANGELES - Washingtoner -- The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting human rights in the field of mental health, is raising alarm over the dangers associated with Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), commonly known as electroshock. The organization is once again advocating for a ban on this controversial practice, highlighting the potential risks, including memory loss and brain damage. Psychiatrists estimate 100,000 Americans are given ECT every year, but there are no formal records kept on its use, despite its inherent risks. Through Freedom of Information Act requests, CCHR has established that teenagers and children ages 5 or younger have also been exposed to it, constituting, as the United Nations says, an act of torture.
The renewed call for a ban comes in response to the first-ever international survey of people who have undergone ECT, conducted by a team of researchers including individuals from England, Northern Ireland, and the United States. The survey is also distinctive as it simultaneously includes input from relatives and friends of ECT recipients.
The research team, consisting of five co-researchers, three of whom have personally experienced ECT, has launched a comprehensive survey.[1]
Historically, ECT research has been criticized for relying heavily on the subjective opinions of prescribing psychiatrists, leading to generally favorable outcomes. However, smaller studies in the 1980s and 1990s, which directly asked ECT patients about their experiences, revealed less favorable outcomes, including rates of permanent memory loss.[2]
While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has permitted ECT devices to remain on the market, it also cautions that "Long-term safety and effectiveness of ECT treatment has not been demonstrated."[3] In 1976, the devices were grandfathered in, and subsequently, no clinical trials have proven their safety and efficacy.
More on Washingtoner
Lisa Morrison, a co-researcher based in Belfast, Ireland, expressed concern about the treatment's impact on memory, stating, "ECT has caused huge gaps in my memory. It's particularly distressing as a Mum to have lost significant memories of my children growing up…. The treatment can sometimes affect relatives too and their relationship with those receiving it. We want everybody to know their experiences matter."
CCHR played a pivotal role in securing the first legislative safeguards against ECT use, a landmark achievement dating back to the 1970s. The organization also contributed to the prohibition of electroshock therapy for minors in California and subsequently in various other states, including Texas and in Western Australia.
ECT sends up to 460 volts of electricity through the brain to induce a grand mal seizure, which induces a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions, masked by an anesthetic.[4]
Recent guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Mental Health, Human Rights, and Legislation, also asserts that ECT can result in brain damage. This requirement is supported by information found in a manual from a U.S. electroshock device manufacturer, which confirms the occurrence of this adverse effect.[5]
The online, anonymous survey, approved by the University of East London Ethics Committee, is open to individuals worldwide who are at least 18 years old and have undergone ECT in the past, excluding the last four weeks.[6]
In the UK, it has been reported that around 40% of ECT procedures are non-consensual and performed on individuals detained against their will under the framework of the UK Mental Health Act.[7] In the United States, numerous states permit involuntary ECT, even though the United Nations Convention against Torture explicitly denounces such practices.[8]
In 2013 the UN Committee against Torture stated that when forcibly given or administered without a patient's consent, electroshock constitutes torture—a practice that needs to be outlawed.[9]
More on Washingtoner
So detrimental are its effects that CCHR produced a definitive documentary on electroshock, Therapy or Torture: The Truth About Electroshock.
CCHR urges those who have undergone ECT or have close connections to ECT recipients to participate in the survey, emphasizing the importance of hearing the voices of those directly affected by this controversial treatment. It also asks for people to support its online petition calling for a ban on ECT.
About CCHR: CCHR was founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and the late Dr. Thomas Szasz, Professor of Psychiatry. It has helped achieve over 190 laws to protect the rights of patients in the mental health state, including the prohibition of dangerous psychiatric treatments, including criminal penalties if administered, and stringent informed consent provisions.
[1] www.psychologytoday.com/nz/blog/psychiatry-through-the-looking-glass/202401/international-survey-of-electroconvulsive-therapy
[2] www.psychologytoday.com/nz/blog/psychiatry-through-the-looking-glass/202401/international-survey-of-electroconvulsive-therapy
[3] www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/12/26/2018-27809/neurological-devices-reclassification-of-electroconvulsive-therapy-devices-effective-date-of, under Response 23, "Response" 4; § 882.5940 Electroconvulsive therapy device, (J)
[4] www.cchrint.org/2023/11/03/patients-given-electroshock-brain-damage-recourse/
[5] www.cchrint.org/2023/09/18/who-guideline-condemns-coercive-psychiatric-practices/ citing www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/WHO-OHCHR-Mental-health-human-rights-and-legislation_web.pdf
[6] www.psychologytoday.com/nz/blog/psychiatry-through-the-looking-glass/202401/international-survey-of-electroconvulsive-therapy
[7] www.mentalhealthtoday.co.uk/news/in-our-right-mind/exclusive-crisis-care-faces-legal-fall-out-after-nhs-digital-lose-control-of-non-consensual-ect-data
[8] jaapl.org/content/51/1/47; www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session22/A.HRC.22.53_English.pdf; www.cchrint.org/memorandum-need-for-human-rights-in-mental-health-laws/
[9] www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session22/A.HRC.22.53_English.pdf
The renewed call for a ban comes in response to the first-ever international survey of people who have undergone ECT, conducted by a team of researchers including individuals from England, Northern Ireland, and the United States. The survey is also distinctive as it simultaneously includes input from relatives and friends of ECT recipients.
The research team, consisting of five co-researchers, three of whom have personally experienced ECT, has launched a comprehensive survey.[1]
Historically, ECT research has been criticized for relying heavily on the subjective opinions of prescribing psychiatrists, leading to generally favorable outcomes. However, smaller studies in the 1980s and 1990s, which directly asked ECT patients about their experiences, revealed less favorable outcomes, including rates of permanent memory loss.[2]
While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has permitted ECT devices to remain on the market, it also cautions that "Long-term safety and effectiveness of ECT treatment has not been demonstrated."[3] In 1976, the devices were grandfathered in, and subsequently, no clinical trials have proven their safety and efficacy.
More on Washingtoner
- Norisia Launches AI Formulated Luxury Multivitamin to Transform Daily Wellness in the UK
- City of Tacoma Invites Community Input on Proposals to Modernize Housing, Zoning, and Land Use Codes for 2026
- Tacoma: Mayor Anders Ibsen to Deliver First State of the City Address on March 4
- Jacob Emrani's Annual "Supper Bowl" Expected To Donate Thousands Of Meals
- NASA / Glenn Research Center Collaboration to Help Meet Rising Demand for Space Energy Beaming Tech / CIGS PV Modules from Ascent Solar: NAS DAQ: ASTI
Lisa Morrison, a co-researcher based in Belfast, Ireland, expressed concern about the treatment's impact on memory, stating, "ECT has caused huge gaps in my memory. It's particularly distressing as a Mum to have lost significant memories of my children growing up…. The treatment can sometimes affect relatives too and their relationship with those receiving it. We want everybody to know their experiences matter."
CCHR played a pivotal role in securing the first legislative safeguards against ECT use, a landmark achievement dating back to the 1970s. The organization also contributed to the prohibition of electroshock therapy for minors in California and subsequently in various other states, including Texas and in Western Australia.
ECT sends up to 460 volts of electricity through the brain to induce a grand mal seizure, which induces a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions, masked by an anesthetic.[4]
Recent guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Mental Health, Human Rights, and Legislation, also asserts that ECT can result in brain damage. This requirement is supported by information found in a manual from a U.S. electroshock device manufacturer, which confirms the occurrence of this adverse effect.[5]
The online, anonymous survey, approved by the University of East London Ethics Committee, is open to individuals worldwide who are at least 18 years old and have undergone ECT in the past, excluding the last four weeks.[6]
In the UK, it has been reported that around 40% of ECT procedures are non-consensual and performed on individuals detained against their will under the framework of the UK Mental Health Act.[7] In the United States, numerous states permit involuntary ECT, even though the United Nations Convention against Torture explicitly denounces such practices.[8]
In 2013 the UN Committee against Torture stated that when forcibly given or administered without a patient's consent, electroshock constitutes torture—a practice that needs to be outlawed.[9]
More on Washingtoner
- When Interpretation Becomes Conversation: Rethinking Engagement in the Museum Age
- Half of Finnish Online Gambling Expenditure Now Flows to Offshore Instant Casinos as License Applications Open March 1, 2026
- RTC Communications Completes Next Level Connect Fiber Expansion Bringing Multi-Gig Broadband to West Boggs Community
- EPP Pricing Platform announces leadership transition to support long-term growth and continuity
- Stolen Hearts: Reclaiming Your Child From Parental Alienation (narcissistic abuse)
So detrimental are its effects that CCHR produced a definitive documentary on electroshock, Therapy or Torture: The Truth About Electroshock.
CCHR urges those who have undergone ECT or have close connections to ECT recipients to participate in the survey, emphasizing the importance of hearing the voices of those directly affected by this controversial treatment. It also asks for people to support its online petition calling for a ban on ECT.
About CCHR: CCHR was founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and the late Dr. Thomas Szasz, Professor of Psychiatry. It has helped achieve over 190 laws to protect the rights of patients in the mental health state, including the prohibition of dangerous psychiatric treatments, including criminal penalties if administered, and stringent informed consent provisions.
[1] www.psychologytoday.com/nz/blog/psychiatry-through-the-looking-glass/202401/international-survey-of-electroconvulsive-therapy
[2] www.psychologytoday.com/nz/blog/psychiatry-through-the-looking-glass/202401/international-survey-of-electroconvulsive-therapy
[3] www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/12/26/2018-27809/neurological-devices-reclassification-of-electroconvulsive-therapy-devices-effective-date-of, under Response 23, "Response" 4; § 882.5940 Electroconvulsive therapy device, (J)
[4] www.cchrint.org/2023/11/03/patients-given-electroshock-brain-damage-recourse/
[5] www.cchrint.org/2023/09/18/who-guideline-condemns-coercive-psychiatric-practices/ citing www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/WHO-OHCHR-Mental-health-human-rights-and-legislation_web.pdf
[6] www.psychologytoday.com/nz/blog/psychiatry-through-the-looking-glass/202401/international-survey-of-electroconvulsive-therapy
[7] www.mentalhealthtoday.co.uk/news/in-our-right-mind/exclusive-crisis-care-faces-legal-fall-out-after-nhs-digital-lose-control-of-non-consensual-ect-data
[8] jaapl.org/content/51/1/47; www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session22/A.HRC.22.53_English.pdf; www.cchrint.org/memorandum-need-for-human-rights-in-mental-health-laws/
[9] www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session22/A.HRC.22.53_English.pdf
Source: Citizens Commission on Human Rights
Filed Under: Government
0 Comments
Latest on Washingtoner
- Spokane City Council Members Introduce "Immigration Enforcement Free Zones"
- Spokane: Mayor Brown Calls on Congress to Extend Temporary Protected Status for Haitian Community Members
- Nevada Man Launches Nationwide Animal Abuse Registry
- New Threat Management Workshop Brings Hands-On BTAM Training to Spokane Valley
- Star-powered Kappa Takeover Weekend Returns to the DMV June 18- 21, 2026, Hosted By Comedian Joe Clair W/ Dj Quick Silva (the Party Kingpin)
- Tacoma: Homicide Investigation – 1200 Block of South I Street
- Welfare Check Leads To Domestic Violence Arrest; Guns and Drugs Recovered At North Spokane Apartment
- Scoop Social Co. Wins The Knot and WeddingWire Awards as Brand Expands Nationwide
- Denise Murphy Lenci Promoted to Century Fasteners Corp. – General Manager, Northeast Sales
- TiNY Puts Real Pets on the Payroll for New PetArmor Campaign
- P‑Wave Classics Launches Definitive New Edition of Hannah Webster Foster's The Coquette
- Strategic Expansion with 3 New Alliances — Jefferson Beach Yacht Sales, CFR YS & flyExclusive Incentive Partnership: Off The Hook YS: (N Y S E: OTH)
- Super League (N A S D A Q: SLE) Advances AI-Driven Playable Media with AdArcade, Solsten, and Meta-Stadiums Partnerships, Plus Roblox Theatre Launch
- purelyIV Expands Concierge Wellness Platform with New IV Therapies, Memberships, and Digital Experience
- CCHR: Europe Rejects Forced Psychiatry—Landmark Vote Declares Coercive Practices Incompatible with Human Rights
- Crossroads4Hope Kicks Off Its 25th Year of Caring with the Launch of Free Breast and Colorectal Cancer Resources for Patients and Families Nationwide
- OpenSSL Corporation Advisory Committees' Elections 2026: Voting Now Open
- Good Vibes Club and Instant IP Forge Strategic Partnership to Secure IP Brand Value in a Booming Digital Economy
- Inkdnylon Simplifies Digitizing and Vector Art Nationwide With Clear Pricing and Guided File Support
- goldsilbermarkt.de Awarded "Business Champion" in Online Retail by DISQ