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ECT Survivors Website

Have you been damaged by ECT?

The FDA Wants to Approve ECT Without Testing – Mad in America

By

Peter Breggin, MD
Peter Breggin, MD

Dr. Peter Breggin’s response to the FDA’s proposal.

On December 29, 2015, the FDA proposed reclassifying ECT, essentially approving of its routine clinical use.  The FDA describes its recommendation as follows:

… To support reclassification of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Devices into class II (special controls) for severe major depressive episode (MDE) associated with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) or Bipolar Disorder (BPD) in patients 18 years of age and older who are treatment-resistant or who require a rapid response due to the severity of their psychiatric or medical condition.

The FDA is also proposing specific warnings that should go along with the ECT devices.  The strongest of the warnings — “Warning: ECT device use may be associated with: disorientation, confusion, and memory problems” — is grossly inadequate and misleading.

In response to the FDA’s request for responses, I submitted the following statement…

Read full article in Mad in America ->

Women, ECT, and Memory – Mad in America

By

Bonnie Burstow PHD
Bonnie Burstow PHD

Dr. Bonnie Burstow, is a faculty member at the University of Toronto.

This article is about women, ECT, and memory. Despite the fact that the memory loss caused by ECT is greatly minimized by psychiatry to the point of downright denial, it is fairly common knowledge at this point, at least among people who have looked beyond the official ECT line, that one of the main and most devastating effects of ECT is the destruction of memory.

Innumerable shock survivors have testified to it, and it is conclusively established by credible research. That noted, many of those who take in the reality of ECT-created memory loss are aware of it largely in an abstract manner.  As a statistic. As a fact supported by research. If our memory is relatively in tact, we can forget how very integral memory is to most every aspect of our daily lives…

Read full article in Mad in America ->

2015 International Day of Protest Against Electroshock

By

Electroshock Protest

On May 16th, 2015, Electroshock survivors and supporters from around the world staged a coordinated protest against shock treatment.  Activists in 27 cities gathered at facilities performing electroshock and in public venues in remembrance of those whose lives were destroyed by shock, and to demand an end to this brutal psychiatric “treatment”.

Electroshock protestorsU.S. Locations

  • Anchorage, AK
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Santa Cruz, CA
  • Eckley, CO
  • Gainesville, FL
  • Columbus, OH
  • Boston, Massachusetts
  • Bangor, ME
  • Hackensack, NJ
  • Newark, NJ
  • Albany, NY
  • Clackamas, OR
  • Eugene, OR
  • Seattle, WA

electroshock human rights abuseInternational Locations

  • Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Melbourne, Australia
  • Calgary, Alberta, Canada
  • Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  • St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada
  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Santiago, Chile
  • Manchester, England
  • London, England
  • Reading, England
  • Cork, Ireland
  • Rotorua, New Zealand
  • Montevideo, Uruguay

 

Welcome to the ECT Survivors website.

By

Deborah Schwartzkopff
Deborah Schwartzkopff, ECT Survivor

Our purpose is to gather information from other ECT survivors with the purpose of improving standards in the consent process, improving safety, and potentially filing a potential class action lawsuit.

If you feel you have suffered permanent injury from the use of ECT or the use of ECT on your person was not fully explained in the consent process then we hope you will fill out our ECT questionnaire. In gathering information from the questionnaire we expect to find commonalities among survivors that will empower us to effect change in the use of ECT as a therapy modality for mental illness and Parkinson’s disease and to ultimately stop its use in its current form.

If you have suffered memory loss or cognitive issues following ECT, it is important to have documentation of loss. If you are able, seek neuro/cognitive testing from a psychologist who is certified in this area. Ask for a copy of these results for your personal record. For the record you may also want to request an EEG from a qualified neurologist and retain a copy of the results once the report is complete.

It is our hope that together we can and will be a voice that is heard and the use of ECT will be eliminated. If you are an ECT survivor please know that you are not alone! Together we can make a difference.

Thank you for taking the time to fill out our ECT Questionnaire to the best of your ability.

About ECT Justice

ECT Justice was created to help advocate for ECT survivors and their families and to gather and disseminate information about known risks of ECT.  If you are an ECT survivor suffering from post-ECT cognitive deficiencies, please know you are not alone.  By sharing your issues, we are able to continue our efforts toward helping ensure that appropriate warnings of the potential risk of permanent injury gets provided to anyone considering ECT. Together we can make a difference.

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