A forthcoming University of Houston study challenges the foundational electrical theory behind electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), undermining decades of psychiatric claims that the procedure is safe. The research, presented at the IEEE EMC+SIPI 2026 Symposium, found that 82.5% of the electric current during ECT flows through the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain, while only 1.5% passes through the scalp. This directly contradicts the long-standing "shunting theory" that the scalp harmlessly diverts 90–95% of the current away from the brain.
The study used a high-resolution three-dimensional digital model of the head to track current distribution. According to Kenneth Castleman, an expert involved in the research, the CSF acts as a major highway directing current throughout the brain. Castleman also notes that electrical energy converts to heat inside the brain, with higher currents producing more heat, potentially causing temporary injury, permanent damage, or cell death. Additionally, electricity can create pores in cell membranes via electroporation, overwhelming repair mechanisms and leading to cell death. These findings suggest ECT carries significant risks of brain-cell damage from both heating and electroporation.
Professor John Read, a leading ECT researcher, draws a parallel between ECT effects and closed-brain injury, noting documented changes similar to traumatic brain injury. This aligns with concerns raised by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), which has long called for a ban on ECT. CCHR highlights that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. § 360f) to ban any device posing an "unreasonable and substantial risk" of injury. CCHR argues that the FDA's 2018 decision to lower the risk classification of ECT devices must be overturned, citing decades of research documenting brain damage, memory loss, cognitive deficits, and mortality, without regulators requiring evidence of long-term safety or effectiveness.
The implications are significant: an estimated 100,000 Americans undergo ECT annually, and CCHR has documented its use on teenagers and even children as young as five in some states. The organization has helped secure bans on ECT for minors in California (1976) and Texas (1993). The World Health Organization declared in 2005 that there are no indications for ECT on minors and recommended prohibition through legislation. More recently, Western Australia banned ECT for under-14s in 2014, the Australian Capital Territory for under-12s, and Ireland banned it for anyone 18 and under in May 2026.
Survivor testimonies underscore the potential harm. Jan Eastgate, president of CCHR International, received ECT as a teenager after an undiagnosed thyroid condition was mislabeled as depression. She experienced searing head pain, failed to recognize her mother, and lost memories of friends and education. Similarly, Paris Jackson recently spoke about undergoing nine "painful" ECT sessions, suffering severe head pain and amnesia. Utah Rep. Jake Sawyer, who received ECT in 2018, reports long-term damage and memory loss, saying, "I suffered long-term damage and memory loss. My vocabulary is nowhere near what it used to be, and making new memories is vastly more difficult than it was before."
CCHR, established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and Dr. Thomas Szasz, has testified before the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which opposes forced treatment. Eastgate concludes, "Electroshocking individuals, especially after failed psychiatric drug treatments and institutionalization that deprives individuals of their autonomy, liberty and the right to an undamaged body and life, is an unnecessary practice that patients need to be protected from. All electroshock methods for all ages should be prohibited." The study's findings provide new scientific evidence that could prompt regulatory review and potentially lead to stricter oversight or bans, aligning with global trends toward restricting ECT use.
