Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
June 19, 2026
Psychiatric Hospitals Fail to Warn Patients of ECT Risks, CCHR Finds
TLDR
- CCHR's review reveals psychiatric hospitals fail to warn ECT patients of risks, enabling potential legal action and regulatory reform opportunities.
- ECT delivers up to 460 volts to induce seizures, but FDA 2018 labeling requirements for risk warnings are ignored by hospitals.
- Tens of thousands of patients, including children, face permanent memory loss and brain damage from ECT without informed consent.
- Psychiatrists who administer ECT earn roughly double the salary of other psychiatrists, fueling a $5-7.6 billion industry.
Impact - Why it Matters
This news matters because it exposes a systemic failure to provide informed consent for a procedure that can cause permanent memory loss and brain damage. Patients and their families rely on hospitals to disclose risks, but this review shows that most facilities are not complying with FDA requirements. The findings raise serious questions about the safety and ethics of ECT and underscore the need for stronger oversight and patient protections.
Summary
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) International has released a damning review of over 50 psychiatric hospitals across 23 states that administer electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Their analysis reveals that these facilities are failing to provide adequate risk information to patients, with none updating their materials to reflect the adverse effects the FDA required for mitigating risks back in 2018. CCHR states that tens of thousands of Americans, including children, are not being warned about long-term memory loss and potential brain damage, warranting a government investigation and review of the need to ban ECT devices.
The FDA's 2018 reclassification of ECT devices from high-risk Class III to lower-risk Class II for limited uses was controversial, with thousands opposing it and many calling for an outright ban. The FDA justified the change partly by requiring patient labeling to warn that "[t]he long-term safety and effectiveness of ECT treatment has not been demonstrated" and recommending formal neuropsychological assessments before and during treatment to monitor cognitive damage. However, none of the facilities report this. CCHR's review found that 88% of hospitals failed to warn about permanent memory loss, 69% failed to warn about cardiovascular problems, and 88% failed to inform patients of their right to refuse consent.
Federal agencies bear much of ECT's costs, even though psychiatrists admit it cannot cure and often requires ongoing "maintenance" treatments. A private insurance analysis found ECT patients hospitalized 4 to 29 days longer than those receiving standard treatment, with additional healthcare costs of $5,700 to $52,700. Psychiatrists who practice ECT often earn roughly twice the salary of other psychiatrists, and ECT is estimated to be a $5.05 – $7.6 billion-a-year industry. CCHR encourages families and doctors to watch its documentary, Electroshock: Therapy or Torture, and for individuals damaged by ECT to report the abuse to CCHR.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by 24-7 Press Release. Read the original source here, Psychiatric Hospitals Fail to Warn Patients of ECT Risks, CCHR Finds
