CCHR says giving electroshock to minors causes brain damage and violates global human rights standards, urging U.S. states to prohibit the practice under child abuse laws. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) recently issued a policy statement urging broader access to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for children and adolescents—even those younger than 13—despite … Read more
The mental health watchdog says the VA and DoD waste billions of dollars on treatments that contribute to high suicide rates, sudden deaths and brain damage in veterans, and are investing in psychedelics that further harm On Veteran’s Day, November 11, CCHR International honors veterans and calls for an end to subjecting them to cocktails … Read more
The mental health industry watchdog, CCHR, says informed consent is breached every time patients are not warned of the brain damage, long-term memory loss, and cardiac risks, including death, associated with electroshock, per the study. A new study has determined that as many as 1 in 15 people who receive electroshock treatment face life-threatening heart … Read more
Mental health industry watchdog, CCHR, calls for increased legal action to protect vulnerable youth from abuses in psychiatric facilities. Citizens Commission on Human Rights International welcomes the increasing numbers of attorneys representing survivors of the troubled teen treatment industry, seeking justice for the abuse many have suffered in behavioral hospitals. On August 27, three Alabama … Read more
Encouraged by its decline, CCHR, a patients’ rights watchdog, launches a series exposing the downfall of electroshock treatment and its long-term dangers, including brain injury. CCHR International, which was among the groups that first helped get electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) banned on minors in California nearly 50 years ago, hails the current decline in psychiatric use … Read more
Group says actress Whoopi Goldberg recently revealed her mother was given electroshock resulting in the memory loss of her children, highlighting that women have been and continue to be over-targeted for ECT. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights, an international mental health industry watchdog, is raising awareness during Mental Health Month on a concerning revelation: … Read more
Company dismisses ECT dangers and, instead, blames ECT critics and lawsuits for its financial demise; CCHR accuses MECTA of ignoring damaging adverse effects of shock treatment. MECTA Corp., one of the USA’s two manufacturers of electroshock machines, filed for bankruptcy following lawsuits related to the company’s SpECTrum device. MECTA (Monitored Electro-Convulsive Therapy Apparatus) cited lawsuits, … Read more
Over 14,800 ECT patients were 16 times more likely to try to commit suicide than a control group of 58,369; antidepressants can also induce suicidal feelings and frightening long-term withdrawal effects. A new study published in Psychological Medicine questions the two principle physical treatments recommended for depression: antidepressants and electroshock therapy (ECT) and raises the … Read more
Forced to obtain electroshock statistics through FOIA, CCHR finds states electroshocking those 0–5 and up to age 12. UN defines any ECT without consent as an act of torture—yet this increasingly occurs throughout the U.S. Statistics on electroshock treatment (ECT) usage in the U.S. for 2019 reveals at least four of 27 states reporting ECT … Read more