CCHR Demands Total Ban on Electroshock Therapy After Landmark Survey

The Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is escalating its campaign for a complete ban on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also known as electroshock, in response to a groundbreaking 2025 international survey published in the Journal of Medical Ethics. This survey, the largest of its kind with 1,144 respondents across 37 countries, revealed alarming findings: 61% to 84% of recipients reported memory loss lasting over three years, 59% felt inadequately informed about risks, and patients were six times more likely to be told ECT is "life-saving" than about potential heart problems. The survey documented widespread difficulty with concentration, reading, and cognitive function post-treatment. CCHR Florida President Diane Stein emphasized that these results confirm systemic failures in informed consent, not isolated incidents.

The controversy extends to the use of ECT on children, with the World Health Organization and United Nations jointly calling for a prohibition on its use for minors in 2023. Despite this, children as young as five can still receive electroshock in the United States, supported by major psychiatric associations. Florida currently has no age restrictions, though a 2024 bipartisan legislative effort to ban ECT for those under 18 failed. CCHR highlights that other jurisdictions, like California, Texas, and recently Ireland, have enacted protections, urging Florida to follow suit. The organization also points to a lack of FDA-required clinical trials for ECT devices, which were reclassified in 2018 without rigorous safety testing, and a 2023 Florida jury finding against manufacturer Somatics for failure to warn patients.

Forced ECT remains a critical issue, exemplified by the case of Brian Henley, who was forcibly shocked at UF Health Shands Psychiatric Hospital in 2021 and reported lasting harm. A July 2025 Federal Reserve Bank of New York study linked involuntary hospitalization to increased suicide and overdose risks, questioning the safety of coercive practices. CCHR, with a decades-long legislative track record including bans in California and Texas, calls for urgent action: FDA removal of ECT devices, insurance reform to stop coverage, and a national ban. In her UN testimony, CCHR International President Jan Eastgate condemned such practices as "sanctioned abuse," advocating for patient autonomy and dignity. The organization, co-founded by the Church of Scientology and Dr. Thomas Szasz, continues its fight against psychiatric abuses worldwide.