ECT Justice!

ECT Survivors Website

Have you been damaged by ECT?

  • Home
  • Info about ECT
    • ECT Destroys Lives
    • No One Should Be Given Shock Treatment
    • Neurologist John M. Friedberg on ECT
    • ECT & Children
    • Is Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Effective?
    • Recommended Reading
  • ECT Survivor Stories
  • Video
    • Deborah Schwartzkopff on Electroshock
    • Peter Breggin, MD: Electroshock is Brain Trauma
    • Dr. John Breeding Discusses ECT
    • FDA’s 2011 Hearings on Reclassifying ECT
  • Informed Consent
  • Questionnaires
    • ECT Questionnaire
    • Be a Media Spokesperson for ECT Victims
  • Help
    • After care following electroshock
    • Medical Records
    • Resources
  • Blog

ECT & Children

Electroshocking Children:
Why It Should Be Stopped

by John Breeding, Ph.D.


Electroshocking childrenIn a recent commentary, University of Toronto historian Edward Shorter laments the efforts of people like myself in states like Texas who have successfully put limits on shocking children in order to induce grand mal convulsions. His argument is that we who have fought against this are denying children a benevolent medical treatment. (1)

In order to understand why Shorter’s plea to use electroshock on children is so egregious, we need to know what it does to children’s brains, which means a look at the science. First, however, a brief look at the history of shocking children in the United States.

Electroshocking Children in the 20th Century

Laretta Bender
Dr. Laretta Bender, Psychiatrist who electroshocked children

In 1947, psychiatrist Lauretta Bender, wrote about how she was now giving electroshock to children. She described the results in this way:

It is the opinion of all observers in the hospital, in the school rooms, of the parents and other guardians that the children were always somewhat improved by the [electric shock] treatment inasmuch as they were less disturbed, less excitable, less withdrawn, and less anxious. They were better controlled, seemed better integrated and more mature and were better able to meet social situations in a realistic fashion. They were more composed, happier, and were better able to accept teaching or psychotherapy in groups or individually. (2)

In 1955, she reported on how she had administered 20 shock treatments to a child under three years old, who was on the children’s ward at New York’s Bellevue Hospital.(3) Bender eventually administered this “treatment” to more than 500 children, and enjoyed a career as one of the most honored psychiatrists of her time.

Read the Full Article by Dr. Breeding here.

 

Photo credits:
Scared child by D Sharon Pruitt CC BY-2.0
Lauretta Bender by Tamar Hayardeni CC BY-SA 4.0

Static-Electricity "and the ashes will be blown away from the tops of their heads. It is edict! It is writ!"

Welcome

Welcome to the ECT survivors website.

News & Events

  • Don’t swallow everything you’re told as the truth May 22, 2019
  • Failure to speak out against ECT May 17, 2019
  • Family Secrets May 14, 2019
  • Stop Shocking and Torturing Women – Mad in America May 13, 2019
  • Lou Reed: That Which Does Not Kill Us Can Radicalize Us – Mad in America May 6, 2019
  • An open letter to medical professionals April 24, 2019

Pages

  • After care following electroshock
  • Be a Media Spokesperson for ECT Victims
  • Blog
  • Deborah Schwartzkopff on Electroshock
  • Dr. John Breeding Discusses ECT
  • ECT & Children
  • ECT & Informed Consent
  • ECT Destroys Lives
  • ECT Questionnaire
  • ECT Survivor Kenny on Life After Electroshock
  • ECT Survivor Mary Maddock’s story
  • ECT Survivor Stories
  • FDA’s 2011 Hearings on Reclassifying ECT
  • Info about ECT
  • Is Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Effective?
    by Philip Hickey, PhD
  • Medical Records
  • Neurologist John M. Friedberg on ECT
  • No One Should Be Given Shock Treatment
  • Peter Breggin, MD: Electroshock is Brain Trauma
  • Recommended Reading
  • Resources
  • Whistleblowers

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.

Recent Posts

  • Don’t swallow everything you’re told as the truth May 22, 2019
  • Failure to speak out against ECT May 17, 2019
  • Family Secrets May 14, 2019
  • Stop Shocking and Torturing Women – Mad in America May 13, 2019
  • Lou Reed: That Which Does Not Kill Us Can Radicalize Us – Mad in America May 6, 2019
© 2023 ECT Justice