She called the line one evening, hoping to talk to a friendly person, and instead was asked, "If you were going to kill yourself, how would you do it?"

Kathleen replied, "Well, I guess I'd jump out the window." Both she and Steve remain adamant that she was not suicidal, but feel that the question was asked in a deceptive manner. It wasn't "Are you thinking of killing yourself," but instead "how would you do it?"

Minutes later a fire truck was sent to her home and she was whisked off to Southpointe Hospital, also owned by Tenet.

That led to Mofsen wanting to perform ECT.

An investigation by ect.org has not turned up any affiliation between Tenet and Behavioral Health Response (BHR). It appears to be a state-funded organization, and when questioned, a representative of BHR said that they absolutely do not take any payoffs from Tenet Healthcare Corporation. He added that he could not comment on the case in any detail.

Kathleen was admitted to Southpointe Hospital in St. Louis, where ECT treatments were to begin. Steve says that by this point, he felt beaten and did not know where to turn next. He says the ECT machine broke, and she was then transferred to Des Peres Hospital. She had undergone two treatments, and Steve says he repeatedly asked her if she wanted them. Her answer was always no, please make them stop.

A chance meeting changed everything.

Steve met Paul Spencer, a local activist. Paul called me and I contacted David Oaks of Support Coalition International. (ect.org is one of 88 international sponsoring organizations of SCI) From there, we put together a release and David distributed the release worldwide. (See the original Dendrite here)

People were asked to contact Michele Meyer, CEO of Des Peres Hospital to express their concern. Many copied their emails to me, and I received hundreds of copied emails.

Within 18 hours, Des Peres Hospital called Steve and said he could pick his mother up the following day. The world was thrilled that their outrage had gained Kathleen's freedom. However, the medical community was not yet done with Kathleen Garrett.

Paul Spencer voiced concerns over why they were waiting a day to release her. Steve called first thing in the morning and asked. Paul's fears became reality when a nurse at Des Peres admitted that they had again shocked her that morning.

"I am convinced they used a higher dose," says Steve. "She is more confused than ever. Can't even remember how old she is now."

Only the people involved can answer the question "Why, after agreeing to back down and stop the treatments, did you shock her again?"

However, there is speculation from the public.

"I think it's pretty obvious," said an activist who asked not to be identified. "They wanted to blast her one last time to fry her memory as best they could. They know a major lawsuit is headed their way."

Said another: "It was the ultimate fuck you. How dare they do this to a defenseless woman! They did it out of spite, the sadistic bastards! Tenet is an evil group. They've proved it in the past, and they're up to their same evil!"

The question must be asked: Why did Ricky Mofsen, DO, Tenet-owned Des Peres Hospital and all staff involved give her one last blast, right before her friends and family came to secure her release? Officials of Tenet Healthcare Corporation were originally telling media that it was all moot, that she'd signed a release form.

Steve says that when he arrived to take his mother home, she immediately complained that they were trying to coerce her into signing such a form.

"She could have signed anything after what they did," Steve says. "It wouldn't surprise me to find out they did make her sign a statement."

But activists have repeatedly talked to Kathleen and she is adamant about one thing: NO MORE SHOCK!

Staff from the hospitals became so bothersome that Steve felt he had no choice - he changed his mother's phone number and told staffers "Leave my mother alone!"

"They know a major lawsuit is headed their way," said an attorney. "They're just trying to cover their asses at this point."

For updates on Kathleen's condition, visit the guestbook. And leave a message of support for Kathleen! Or speak your mind about Tenet's role in all of this. Email addies not required.

Steve says that now Tenet is harassing his mother over a bill they originally said was covered by insurance. He says they've been rude, "snippy" and he's outraged that they continue to "be so hateful" to his mother.

What to do if you're facing forced electroshock

next: The Original Dendrite