It calls for a ban on the use of electric shocks to treat mental illness

MPs from across the political spectrum are calling for a ban on the use of electric shock (ECT) as a psychiatric treatment in the UK and an urgent investigation into the practice.

MPs told The Independent that they were “really concerned” that voltage treatment was being given to women incorrectly, that patients were not properly informed about the potential side effects of the treatment, and that some patients had not given consent to the treatment beforehand. They got it.

Public health physician Dr Pallavi Devulapalli warned that patients’ well-being was “at risk” and called on the government to conduct an “urgent and comprehensive review” of the treatment.

Green Party Spokesperson for Health, Social Care and Public Health Dr. Devolapalli said he fears that “despite the reports, no new and reliable studies have been conducted on the subject of electric shock therapy since 1985. After the treatment, many people spoke of their harm and suffering, including “memory loss and fatigue”.

Some patients say electroconvulsive therapy has helped improve their condition, while psychiatrists and the Department of Health and Welfare are closely monitoring the treatment to see if it can help those who have failed other treatments.

The calls come after reports in The Independent that thousands of women have received electroconvulsive therapy despite concerns that such treatment could potentially cause irreversible brain damage.

Health workers warned that severe side effects could leave patients unable to distinguish between family members or perform simple math calculations. The Independent previously revealed that ECT was disproportionately given to women, who accounted for two-thirds of the total patient population in 2019.

Robin Walker, Conservative MP for Worcester and chair of the House of Commons education committee, said he was concerned about ECT and was keen to ensure the government took an “evidence-based approach”.

“In light of the concerns raised about ECT, we must call for a suspension pending a full review of the evidence and ensure that all orders are fully complied with,” he added.

For her part, Marsha de Córdoba, the former shadow secretary for women and equalities, said it was “deeply worrying” that more women than men were being subjected to electroconvulsive therapy and that patients were “not receiving adequate warnings about the side effects”.

The Labor MP for Battersea continued, “As this treatment can cause severe neurological disorders, I believe it should be suspended pending a review of its impact on patients’ long-term health.”

Dr Sue Cunliffe, who began using electroconvulsive therapy in 2004, previously told The Independent that the treatment “[அவரது]”Completely ruined life,” and the psychiatrist told her she would suffer no long-term consequences.

Dr Cunliffe, a former pediatrician, said: “Eventually, I couldn’t recognize my relatives or friends. I couldn’t count money. I didn’t know the multiplication table. I couldn’t move anywhere. I couldn’t remember events from one moment to the next.”

Leading Liberal Democrat MP Leila Moran said her party supported calls from leading mental health charity Mind to review the way ECT is delivered, while warning that “patient experience and care” must be at the heart of any treatment.

Meanwhile, Nadia Witt, Labor MP for Nottingham East, backed the practice to be suspended pending an “urgent inquiry” and said “it is sometimes used on vulnerable women without their consent as a matter of particular concern”.

Psychiatrists are legally required to obtain consent before treating a person with electric shock, but if a patient has been forcibly admitted to a hospital by law and refuses to undergo this treatment, the psychiatrist may decide that he is not competent to make this decision. His own.

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer warned the treatment was “clearly being used in breach of specific recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)”. Why “talking and other therapies are not provided”. Treatments that doctors may prescribe.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists says evidence-based treatment is usually used for patients with severe depression when their condition is life-threatening or when their depression has not responded to other approaches.

A college spokesman said: “Like many medical treatments, the treatment can have side effects that vary in severity from one person to another, and the benefits must be weighed and discussed in detail with the patient, but most people who undergo ECT see an improvement in symptoms.” “.

He said ECT could improve “very sick people” enough to “seek other forms of treatment” and help them “stay well longer”.

“Banning or suspending ECT is preventing life-threatening patients from receiving effective treatment,” the spokesperson added.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said treatment was “closely monitored” under the Mental Health Act 1983 and they expected health workers and services to follow regularly reviewed guidance from the National Institute for Health and Medical Excellence.

“Through the draft Mental Health Bill, we are trying to strengthen this protection by mandating doctors to seek the approval of a second appointed doctor before providing treatment,” the ministry representative added.