July 29, 1999 

APA Report

From the American Psychiatric Association, here is the newest version of their statement on ECT...."The Practice of Electroconvulsive Therapy: Recommendations for Treatment, Training and Privileging." The whole report is a few inches thick and a huge project to get scanned...but I've got the most important chapters scanned and ready to read.

A few points stand out in this report:

• Despite all the hoopla about unilateral ECT having fewer side effects, it's not very effective
• The results of ECT are very temporary, and this illustrates the need to continue the treatments indefinitely
• Memory loss does happen ("In many patients the recovery from retrograde amnesia will be incomplete, and there is evidence that ECT can result in persistent or permanent memory loss")

From a visitor, two fantastic cartoons depicting ECT. John, you're a talented artist, but you didn't include a valid email address...please email me! I tried to write to you and thank you for such brilliant work, but it bounced. The first, called unemployment, depicts a shock doc on the unemployment line. The second, shock, shows a series of panels and the wonderful results! Herr Doktor is delightful! A big thank you to John!

Every day I get emails from people who are desperate...desperate to end their depression. Medicine doesn't have the answers, and neither do I unfortunately. You have to try many things and find something that works for you. I know, easier said than done, and when you're depressed, it's pretty hard to find a shred of hope. I've come across some new ideas to try...most are free or cheap. They may or may not work, but it's worth a try.

Goggle therapy

Yes, it's about the silliest thing I've ever heard, but according to the Harvard psychiatrist who came up with it, it can work and work well. You aren't going to hear much about it, unfortunately. Why? Because there's no money in it. You can make these goggles at home. This is a transcript of the segment on 20/20 that explained this new therapy, how it works and how to do it yourself. It operates on the theory of left brain vs. right brain, and by forcing one side to take control, you can alter your own mood. I don't want to sound like a preacher, but I've shared this transcript with numerous ect.org readers, and several have said it worked, and worked WELL! Give it a try....it won't cost you a cent!

Fish oil

You can buy it anywhere...I got mine at the local drugstore for under a few dollars. A new study has shown it can be beneficial in relieving symptoms of manic depression...Again, you aren't going to hear much about it because it's not a money maker for anyone.

SAMe

Pronounced sami, this new nutritional supplement is being hailed as the new prozac and all around "good for what ails you." It remains to be seen just how effective this will be, but early reports are promising, and numerous European studies have shown it works to combat major depression, without the side effects of Prozac and other antidepressants. Unfortunately, it isn't cheap.

Medicine's Alarming New Trend

From the Ottawa Citizen, this article examines the increase in ECT in Canada, which has more than doubled in the last ten years.

The worst crime in world history

Most people throughout the world know the horrors perpetrated against Jews and other ethnic "undesirables" by Adolf Hitler and his evil colleagues. But did you know that more than a quarter million persons with psychiatric conditions were also killed? In fact, these killings served as the model for "euthanizing" Jews, gypsies and the others later killed. Now the World Psychiatric Association has welcomed German psychiatry into its fold, ignoring the crimes of history. To pretend it never happened is to once again kill those victims of evil...to say their lives meant nothing. Chancellor Willy Brandt kneeled at the Getto Warsaw Rebellion Memorial to make a statement to the world that he acknowledged - and was sorry - that Jews and Gypsies were killed in the Holocaust. No one - politicians, psychiatrists, or anyone else other than survivors - has ever even acknowledged the 275,000 psychiatric victims. It is a slap in the face to all psychiatric consumers and survivors around the world to hold the World Psychiatric Association's 11th Congress in Germany without issuing any kind of statement regarding those people who were murdered because of psychiatric histories. A group of people have put together a heartbreaking tour of the facilities that were used to kill psychiatric patients in Germany from 1939 to 1947 (Yes, they continued after the war ended....forgotten once again by the world). They will be conducting tours in Germany during the WPA's convention....visit them and learn more about the ugliness of psychiatry in Germany.

Therapy return to Niagara sparks debate

St. Catharines General Hospital has agreed to be the regional provider of shock therapy, sparking raging debate among mental health professionals over whether the technique helps or harms.

ECT Anon Newsletter

From the UK, another fine issue of the ECT Anonymous Newsletter...this is the summer 1999 edition. You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it (it's a free download). You can read the table of contents here. Don't miss the article on a kind of therapy for depression!

Review

A review of the UK's Mental Health Act by ECT Anonymous, a large group of ECT survivors. Needs the Acrobat Reader.

Reviewing the research

Research in psychiatry clearly demonstrates that ECT is far from "safe and effective" - a phrase improperly applied as ECT, unlike a vaccine, carries no requirement that safety and efficacy is proven. Paternalistic dictum, not rational scientific basis, establishes ECT as a medical treatment; the real reason ECT is given is because doctors think it should be. ECT Anonymous has reviewed extensive literature (written by pro-ECT doctors) and shown some of the things ignored when putting together the PR materials.

Adverse psychological effects after ECT

A new study from the Journal of Mental Health examines the adverse psychological effects in ECT patients, as well as the lack of consideration doctors have given to their patients' views and concerns. Even Richard Abrams, who has been notably negligent about patient concerns admits "Doctors who give ECT have shown remarkably little interest in their patients' views of the procedure and its effects on them." An interesting statement in light of his work.

Don't miss the books by authors Wendy Funk and Robert Morgan!

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