Thousands Of Women With Mental Health Problems In England Suffered Dangerous Brain Shocks

NHS data seen by The Independent reveal the scale of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) that is disproportionately prescribed to women, who make up two-thirds of patients receiving treatment. Health professionals have warned that treatment can cause brain damage, so serious recipients may not be able to identify family and friends or do basic math. While some patients say the treatment has helped them deeply, leading mental health charities have called it “harmful” and “outdated” and called for it to be discontinued pending an urgent review or banned altogether. Statistics obtained through Freedom of Information requests from Dr John Read, a professor at the University of East London and a leading ECT expert, show that 67 per cent of the 1,964 patients treated in 2019 were women. ECT was given to women twice as often as men in 20 NHS trusts in the UK, according to his research. The trusts also said that about 36 percent of their patients in 2019 underwent ECT without their consent. The NHS could provide statistics on whether the ECT was successful in 16 percent of trusts, while only 3 percent of trusts had mechanisms for monitoring side effects. A review of ECT clinics by Dr Read and colleagues found that around 2,500 patients undergo ECT in England each year, with 58% of those over 60 years old. The National Institute for Excellence in Health and Care (Nice), which provides recommendations to guide NHS treatment decisions, said its guidelines stipulate that physicians “should consider ECT only for treatment of acute depression that is threatening to life and when a rapid response is required. or when other treatments have failed. ” One spokesman added that patients should be fully aware of the risks associated with ECT and that the decision to implement treatment “should be taken with the depressed person as much as possible”. The Royal College of Psychiatrists said ECT “can have side effects” but noted that “most people with ECT see improvement in their symptoms”. However, Dr. Read claimed that the Nice directives were systematically ignored. His study found that many NHS trustees admitted to giving ECT patients without first offering treatments such as counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy. I could not remember the names of the people. I would skip a sentence and forget the word for a house. I had lost the word. I could not remember my children’s birthdays. You lose all your memories from years ago Su Canlif The academic, who has worked as a clinical psychologist for almost 20 years, also argued that the guidelines are “very weak” as they do not specify the specific risks that patients should be informed about. “Also, they do not clarify the fact that ECT is slightly better than placebo,” he added. “We have bombed Nice with research showing that ECT is not safe for brain damage and memory loss. “They just ignored our correspondence.” In every country where research has been conducted, ECT is used twice as often in women as in men, Dr. Read said. He noted that most psychiatrists in the UK would not use ECT on patients, but suggested that they speak out against their colleagues who do. Dr Read said the most recent efficacy study was conducted in 1985 and argued that previous research had shown little evidence of its positive effects. “A significant negative effect is memory loss. “Studies show that between 12 and 55 percent of people suffer from long-term or permanent brain damage that leads to memory loss.” “We also know that women and the elderly who are the target groups are surprisingly more likely to suffer from memory loss than other people. “It should be the teams that get it the least because of the risks.” Sue Cunliffe, who started ECT in 2004, told the Independent that she had “completely ruined” her life, despite a psychiatrist telling her there would be no long-term side effects. The former pediatrician, 55, was referred to a psychiatrist after suffering from depression after problems with her ex-husband, with whom she was married for two decades. Dr. Cunliffe underwent two ECT courses, including 21 sessions, each under general anesthesia in the hospital. He said he suffered “terrible” memory loss throughout treatment. (Su Canlife) “Until the end, I could not recognize relatives or friends,” he said. “I could not count the money. I could not make my table twice. I could not navigate anywhere. I could not remember what I had done from one minute to the next. “I could not remember the names of the people. I would skip a sentence and forget the word for a house. I had lost the word. I could not remember my children’s birthdays. You lose all your memories years ago “. Peter McCabe, managing director of Headway, the brain injury association, said he was “concerned by reports of patients having post-ECT neurological problems” and called for further investigation and urgent review. He added: “We are aware of the claim of the Royal College of Psychiatrists that ‘rigorous scientific research has found no evidence of brain damage in patients who have undergone ECT’.” However, it also acknowledges that further research is needed into the long-term effects of this treatment. “ Stephen Buckley, Mind’s mental health spokesman, told the Independent that the charity had backed calls for a “comprehensive review of ECT use”, which it described as “potentially dangerous physical therapy”. Alexa Knight, deputy director of policy and practice at the Rethink Mental Illness charity, stressed that patients’ consent to ECT must be sought and noted that it is not currently required if the person undergoes emergency treatment under the Mental Health Act. health. Indy Cross, CEO of Agenda, a charity that campaigns for women and girls at risk, called for an “immediate ban on ECT.” During her second course of treatment, Dr Cunliffe said her side effects worsened as the electroshock doses increased – from about 460 to 700 millicombes. The maximum dose in Europe and America is 500 milicombes, but in Britain the dose can be increased to a maximum of 1000 milicombes. He said: “What is important and never discussed is the fact that your brain does not want to fit. Every time you go in, you need a different dose of electricity to fit. “They are not yet clear on how to dose safely and in fact when they give you higher doses they do not tell you that the treatment is becoming more dangerous in terms of brain damage.” In my opinion, there is never a good reason to shock an animal or a human in the brain. In another case, it’s fatal – you’re not going to get an electric shock. Dr. Jessica Taylor Dr Cunliffe said health professionals initially dismissed her symptoms as the consequences of ECT. However, in 2007, an NHS neuropsychologist diagnosed her with impaired ECT, she said. Until then, Dr. Cunliffe could not use computers and had difficulty reading, problems that persisted for years after ECT and prevented her from working. “I forgot a huge chunk of my medical knowledge,” he added. “It was very sad. It has been 17 years since I finished the treatment and I have made many improvements. “But I’m too tired and stuck with the long – term effects of brain damage.” Dr Cuncliffe said she sometimes worked more than 100 hours a week, but now struggles with three-hour volunteer shifts at a community café. He said: “I have a lot of intelligence behind me, but what happens is that your brain is so tired. It limits my independence, I would not dare to go on a long journey – I feel too exhausted. Because I’m so tired, I have help at home. “I know I’re not the only one who lost his job after the ECB. “I know another doctor who lost his job, a man who lost his job as a caretaker manager and someone in the banking sector who lost his job.” Dr Cunliffe, campaigning for research on how to use ECT in the UK, argued that psychiatrists “downplay” side effects and fail to properly warn patients. He noted that manufacturers have a list of warnings that ECT can cause brain damage written in the machine manual and explicitly urge all health professionals to inform patients of side effects. However, health professionals do not properly seek ECT consent from patients or do not adequately monitor them while undergoing treatment, he claimed. Dr Cunliffe added: “I used to have an Apple Mac brain that could process huge amounts of information. Now it’s an old computer that shuts down. ” Jessica Taylor, a leading psychologist exploring ECT in her new book Sexy But Psycho, has called for an immediate ban on ECT’s “dangerous and barbaric practices” in the UK. Dr Taylor, who specializes in women’s pathology in mental health settings, said she had met dozens of people who had undergone ECT, including some women who said they had suffered brain damage as a result. He met ECT when he previously worked in frontline services assisting teenagers and women who had been raped, he said. “They were given several ECT rounds because the services and professionals around them thought they were resistant to treatment,” added Dr. Taylor, who founded Victim Focus, an anti-discrimination organization. The psychologist gave the example of a 15-year-old girl who was referred for ECT less than a year after the rape. Dr Taylor said: “I was surprised that someone in the world did an ECT, let alone a teenage girl in the UK. Generally, when we talk about ECT, the public assumes that it is forbidden. When people think of ECT they think of horror movies like Shutter Island. “In my opinion, there is never a good reason to …