# ECT- Living Better Electrically **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [March 23, 1999, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ect-living-better-electrically/272 "1999-03-23T22:06:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 1999, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ect-living-better-electrically/272/81 "1999-04-30T12:14:00Z")
Andy I ran across the following while reading this morning, and felt you might appreciate these statements, considering you had ECT against your will: (quote removed - Jill) C.S.Lewis, “The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment,” God in the Dock, 1970 and: (quote removed - Jill) Ronald Liefer (US psychiatrist, ) “In the Name of Mental Health” The Social Functions of Psychiatry, 5, 1969 [Note: This message has been edited by JillGat] ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 1999, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ect-living-better-electrically/272/82 "1999-10-03T13:59:00Z")
I edited the following post because of length and because it was too close to advertising. It was a dilemma for me, because I tend to agree with it. But what if next time I don’t? I have to be fair. For more information, follow the links in the text. JillGat PULL THE PLUG ON ECT ACTION ACTION ACTION The Surgeon General is about to issue a Report on Mental Health that is seriously flawed. One of the most serious errors in the report is the statement that ECT (shock treatment) is safe and effective. A statement that thousands of people who have had ECT, and many serious researchers, know to be untrue. This is one of many serious problems with this report that are a direct result of the cancellation of the senior review that was scheduled to include representation by leaders within the consumer/survivor community. We have been told that the report is being rushed into print so that Tipper Gore can use it as she tries to get her husband elected President. This alert is also at: [http://www.madnation.org/sgr.htm](http://www.madnation.org/sgr.htm) ~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~\* For a sample letter, read one from Dr. Dan Fisher [http://www.madnation.org/news/letters/sgrfisher.htm](http://www.madnation.org/news/letters/sgrfisher.htm) ~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~\*~ I can’t believe we need to do this. WWW: [www.madnation.org](http://www.madnation.org) Consumers and Survivors United Expect ACTION ALERTS from Support Coalition International and other individuals and organizations today and over the weekend. There may only be two things that the vast majority of users of mental health services are united on: The Great Harm that ECT can and often does cause is one of them. The Horror of Involuntary Outpatient Commitment is the Other. We are coming together on these two issues And we will be powerful advocates as Consumers and Survivors United. [Note: This message has been edited by JillGat] ---
**Author:** ![Unzap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/22d042/32.png) [@Unzap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unzap)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 1999, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ect-living-better-electrically/272/83 "1999-10-11T01:55:00Z")
The government has billions of (taxpayer’s) dollars to advertise for “mental health” and the so-called treatment supposed to promote it; what I do can hardly be called advertising. Trying to do a little counter-advertising would be probably the most accurate descriptor. At any rate please correct the URL to the info about the Surgeon General’s report which aims to give electroshock a clean bill, even as the electroshock device remains untested by the FDA and a Class III, most hazardous device. That URL is [http://www.madnation.org/sgr.htm.](http://www.madnation.org/sgr.htm.) What you have shortened it to, from my previous post, misses the target. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 1999, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ect-living-better-electrically/272/84 "1999-10-11T02:16:00Z")
There is way too much copyrighted stuff copied onto this thread. I am going to have to edit yours, Christine, and probably a couple of others. I will leave the URLs so that people can read more about this topic if they choose. The posts are so long, the thread takes forever to load, too. Jill ---
**Author:** ![Barb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/58956e/32.png) [@Barb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barb)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 1999, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ect-living-better-electrically/272/85 "1999-10-31T08:18:00Z")
The Surgeon General has received a deluge of letters from ECT survivors. National coverage has inclucded articles in the New York Times, Fox News, Associated Press. Hopefully the Surgeon General has decided to re-think his statements before this report is released. Along with hundreds of others left damaged and or disabled by ECT, I made my statement to the Surgeon General that ECT was not “safe” nor was it “effective” for me. Instead ECT left me permanently disabled with verified brain damage. Dec 1 1997 Ilinois passed a law requiring reporting of deaths within 14 days of ECT, becoming the second state, following Texas to reauire reporting of deaths. About one out of 200 who get ECT are dead within 2 weeks of their “treatment” (See Texas Dept of Mental Health stats and USA Today article by Dennis Cachon Dec 1995) Jan, 1998 the Illinois Supreme Court restricted the use of shock therapy by including safeguards for “any unusual , hazadous, or experimental services or psychosurgery” sought without the patients written and informed consent. In referring to setting the same standards for governing ECT as for psychotropic drugs, Justice Benjamin Miller of the Illinois Supreme Court wrote “Both types of treatment are mind altering, invasive and present significant side effects…Both types of treament have the potential for misuse by medical personnel for the purposes of patient control rather than patient treatment.” (Associated Press “Shock Therapy Use Restricted By Court” Jan 23 1998) ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ect-living-better-electrically/272/86 "2001-06-16T22:09:22Z")
I’d like to save relevant and useful threads pertaining to “mental illness” – whether pro-psychiatric or anti-psychiatric in tone–from the pruning-room floor. (Geeze, how did I manage to MISS this thread when it was extant?) ::bump:: ---
**Author:** ![joewood2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@joewood2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joewood2000)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ect-living-better-electrically/272/87 "2011-10-29T18:21:46Z")
Hello people. I am a ECT survivor and I DO NOT reccomend it to anybody. There are other options for people instead of ECT treatments. I will tell you my heart wrencing story. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ect-living-better-electrically/272/88 "2011-10-29T18:27:58Z")
A new record! March 1999. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ect-living-better-electrically/272/89 "2011-10-29T20:19:26Z")
**joewood2000** , welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards. We’re glad you found us. However, please be aware that the thread you are posting to is ten years old. The post before yours was made in 2001. Many of the people posting to this thread are no longer participants in our boards. It’s what we call a “zombie” thread. We normally don’t care much, but in this case it seems unfair to be responding to ten-year old comments. If you’d like to start a new thread, please do so. I’m closing this one. PS - For those wondering: when we started the Message Boards, it was under a different system. When we migrated to VB, everything carried over except the names of the posters. We didn’t know why then, and we don’t know why now, but it’s pretty much irrelevant except when a really REALLY old thread gets resurrected. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ect-living-better-electrically/272.md?page=4)