CCHR Florida Intensifies Call for Electroshock Therapy Ban Following International Survey on Patient Harm

The Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) is intensifying its call for a total ban on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also known as electroshock, following the release of a landmark international survey documenting widespread patient harm and systematic violations of informed consent. Psychiatrists prescribe ECT for approximately 100,000 people a year in the U.S. alone, yet the treatment's actual safety and long-term effectiveness remain unproven by rigorous clinical trials. The procedure involves sending up to 460 volts of electricity through a person's brain to induce a grand mal seizure.

A 2025 survey published in the Journal of Medical Ethics—the largest of its kind with 1,144 ECT recipients and family members across 37 countries—found that the medical benefits of ECT are routinely exaggerated while risks are systematically downplayed. Key findings include 61% to 84% of ECT recipients reporting memory loss, with more than half saying the loss lasted longer than three years, and 59% of recipients stating they were not adequately informed before the procedure. Patients were nearly 4 times more likely to recall being told about temporary memory problems than permanent memory loss, and 6 times more likely to recall being told ECT can be "life-saving" than about potential heart problems. Additional reported difficulties included 87% with losing their train of thought after treatment, 86% with concentrating, and 78% with reading.

"The findings confirm what CCHR has documented for decades: patients are being misled about the risks of electroshock," said Diane Stein, president of CCHR Florida. "When nearly 60% of patients say they weren't adequately informed, this isn't an informed consent problem—it's a failure of the entire system." The World Health Organization and United Nations jointly stated in 2023 that ECT "is not recommended for children, and this should be prohibited through legislation," confirming that anyone offered ECT must be made aware of all risks, including memory loss and brain damage. CCHR International addressed the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in August 2025, urging the global abolition of ECT, forced drugging, and other coercive psychiatric practices—especially when used on children.

Despite these international recommendations, children as young as five can still receive electroshock in the United States, with both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry supporting its use in minors. Florida currently has no age restrictions on ECT use, and public records requests revealed that children in the under-5 age group have received electroshock treatment in several U.S. states. A bipartisan effort in the 2024 Florida legislative session (SB 252/HB 1227) sought to ban ECT on minors under 18, but the legislation did not pass. "Florida should follow the lead of states like California and Texas that have enacted age restrictions," said Stein. "But we shouldn't stop there. The evidence shows ECT is harmful at any age." Ireland announced in November 2025 that it is moving to ban ECT on all individuals under 18 through amendments to its mental health legislation.

While proponents claim modern ECT is safer than past versions, the FDA has never required manufacturers to conduct clinical trials proving safety and effectiveness. In December 2018, the FDA reclassified ECT devices from Class III to Class II for limited uses—including for patients as young as 13—despite thousands of public comments opposing the reclassification. "ECT devices were 'grandfathered' in without going through the rigorous testing required of other medical devices," Stein noted. "The FDA's own advisory panels received testimony about adverse effects including brain damage, cognitive impairment, and death, yet the devices remain on the market." A 2023 Florida jury found ECT device manufacturer Somatics had failed to warn patients about known risks—a landmark case highlighting the legal implications of inadequate informed consent.

The practice of forced ECT remains a reality, as demonstrated in 2021 when a Florida man named Brian Henley was forcibly shocked at UF Health Shands Psychiatric Hospital after attempting to refuse treatment. MindFreedom International launched a "Shield Alert" campaign on his behalf, and Henley reported lasting memory loss, confusion, nerve pain, and depression. A July 2025 Federal Reserve Bank of New York study found that individuals involuntarily hospitalized were nearly twice as likely to die by suicide or overdose within three months of discharge, raising serious questions about the safety of coercive psychiatric interventions.

CCHR has been at the forefront of legislative efforts to protect patients from ECT abuse for over five decades, with successes including California's 1976 ban on ECT for children under 12, Texas's 1993 ban on ECT for those under 16, Western Australia's 2014 prohibition for children under 14 with criminal penalties, and the Australian Capital Territory's 2015 ban on ECT for children under 12. "CCHR will continue working with legislators to pass meaningful protections," said Stein. "But the ultimate goal is a total ban on ECT. Decades of evidence show this treatment causes more harm than good." CCHR urges FDA action to remove ECT devices from the market, insurance reform to stop coverage for ECT by Medicaid, Medicare, Tricare, and private insurers, and a national ban where states follow international guidance toward eliminating electroshock entirely.