Just say no to using ECT as treatment

ECT is an acronym for Electro-Convulsive Therapy. This procedure is supposedly used to help those individuals who suffer from schizophrenia or major depressive disorder. It is authorized and administered by a psychiatrist. It has been in use in the United States since the early 1940s, and is still used widely throughout the country, including Illinois.

The procedure is usually performed in a hospital setting. It involves using a machine that passes an electric current through the patient's brain, which is sufficient to cause a convulsion. The psychiatrist has the ability to modify the length and strength of the electrical impulse. The psychiatrist has the discretion to administer as many ECTs as he feels is necessary to obtain a satisfactory outcome. This could entail as many as 20 to 50 ECTs.

The main complaint about ECT is the loss of memory. The psychiatrists maintain that this loss of memory is regained after a few weeks. However, patients who have undergone this procedure claim that they have permanent memory loss. Some patients have lost critical memory such as the ability to play the piano or use a sewing machine. Some patients have lost important information about their past such as remembering friends and important events.

Institutions report that it is not known what causes the patient to improve after ECT. And yet, a great amount of evidence suggests that the effect is created by the loss of brain tissue.

As a clinical psychologist with nearly 30 years of experience, and having read extensively about ECT and its consequences, I can unequivocally state that ECT is not good for your brain or your memory. I would implore anyone to engage in more therapeutic and humane psychotherapies even for serious psychopathology such as schizophrenia.

Richard Taylor

Schaumburg