Discussion
I don't know about you but I was completely unaware that around 2,500 people a year are still being subjected to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the UK (around a million across the world).
Not only are there massive regional disparities in its use (as a last resort, according to NHS guidelines) after around 80 years of use there remains no consensus on the efficacy of the procedure.
Is this the next medical scandal to hit the NHS, we might wonder?
#MentalHealth #NHS #politics
h/t Observer
wait is there really no consensus on it's efficacy?
i thought it was widely acknowledged to be one of the only effective ways to address treatment resistant depression. the side effects can be severe and it doesn't always work, but i thought this was also widely agreed upon. also last i can recall checking it was also looking like it was still more effective than newer approaches to treatment resistant depression, like ketamine and rTMS.
can you say more about this?
ECT was born from the mindset that with enough punishment, mental illness can be "cured".
https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/ect-dangerous-either-side-pond
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroconvulsive_therapy
What it really does is cause brain damage, especially to higher executive functions, so the person is more compliant, suggestible, & more vulnerable to future abuse.
https://lifeafterect.org/brain-damage-and-memory-loss-from-ect-dr-peter-sterling/
The same philosophy is behind austerity programs; "curing" poverty by punishing the poor.
Similarly, suspect autism treatments
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