New Study Debunks ECT Safety Myth, Sparks Calls for Ban

In a groundbreaking development that challenges decades of psychiatric practice, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) has spotlighted a forthcoming University of Houston study that undermines the core electrical theory behind electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The study's high-resolution 3D model of the human head reveals that contrary to the long-held 'shunting theory'—which claimed the scalp buffers 90-95% of the electric current—82.5% of the current actually flows through the cerebrospinal fluid and brain, with only 1.5% through the scalp. This finding suggests that the brain is directly exposed to the full force of the electrical current, raising serious concerns about safety.

The study also highlights two mechanisms of potential brain damage: thermal injury from heat generated by the current, and electroporation, where high voltage creates pores in cell membranes, overwhelming repair mechanisms and leading to cell death. Professor John Read, a leading ECT researcher, compares the effects to a closed-brain injury, noting documented changes similar to traumatic brain injury. CCHR is using these findings to renew its call for a ban on ECT devices, citing the FDA's authority to ban devices posing an unreasonable risk of injury. The organization points to the FDA's 2018 decision to lower the risk classification of ECT devices as a dangerous oversight, especially given that an estimated 100,000 Americans undergo ECT annually, including teenagers and children.

The personal testimonies of survivors like Jan Eastgate, president of CCHR International, who received ECT as a teenager after a misdiagnosis, and Paris Jackson, who underwent nine sessions and experienced severe pain and amnesia, underscore the human toll. Utah Rep. Jake Sawyer, who suffered long-term memory loss, joins the chorus calling for prohibition. CCHR has a history of successful advocacy, including bans on ECT for minors in California and Texas, and international bans in Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, and Ireland. The World Health Organization has also declared that ECT should be prohibited for children and considered abuse in adults without consent. This new research could be pivotal in overturning the FDA's stance and protecting vulnerable individuals from a procedure that many deem barbaric.