A CONSULTANT psychiatrist employed by the HSE has warned that psychiatrists have “too much power” and that rules on the use of electro-shock therapy need to be changed to protect patients.
A major debate is unfolding over the use of forced ECTon psychiatric patients. Should a mentally ill patient in distress be forced to undergo electric shock treatment against his or her will? It’s a question which goes to the heart of a growing debate over one of the most controversial and invasive procedures used in psychiatric care.
Ask the average person about the use of electroshock treatment in today’s society and 9 out of 10 will respond, “They still shock people?”
Irish health inspectors have uncovered evidence of bad management and untrained medical staff administering electric shock therapy to patients in psychiatric wards around the country. Many of Ireland’s psychiatric wards may be closed as they are “unfit for human habitation.”
It may be that ECT is a drastic remedy, but the cure may be worse than the disease. Trust and confidence are slow to repair, and the loss to memory, especially the time leading up to the treatment – makes the patient very vulnerable. The fact that vessels and connections are ruptured, and cannot be repaired, as it is a closed head wound – all make this treatment undesirable.