HEALTH: Electro-shock therapy regularly used on mentally ill (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

HEALTH: Electro-shock therapy regularly used on mentally ill

11:19am Tuesday 29th July 2008 in

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CONTROVERSIAL electro-shock therapy has been used on the mentally ill in Waltham Forest 390 times in the last three years.

The information, released under the Freedom of Information Act, shows that North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT) used electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) once every three days at Goodmayes Hospital in Essex.

ECT involves sending an electric current through the brain to trigger a seizure with the aim of relieving severe depression.

The treatment, which famously featured in the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, is controversial because there is no clear explanation about how it works and some patients say its effects are worse than the original illness.

According to the mental health charity Mind, ECT has a number of permanent side-effects including memory loss, lack of concentration, fear, anxiety, loss of creativity, confusion, apathy, sleeplessness and suicidal tendancies.

Some scientists believe ECT damages the brain, while others believe it is an effective way of treating severe depression when other treatments have failed.

NELFT deputy chief executive John Brouder said the trust's use of ECT complies with National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines, which state it should only be used after a detailed assessment of the patient, when the condition is potentially life threatening and when other treatments have failed.

Mr Brouder said: "The trust appreciates this is an emotive area and would always treat each case with the utmost sensitivity, ensuring the service user and their relatives have a clear understanding of the ECT process."

NELFT, or North East London Mental Health Trust (NELMHT) as it was known until recently, used ECT 92 times in 2005/06, 188 times in 2006/07, and on 110 occasions in 2007/08.

This meant the amount of ECT treatment doubled between 2006 and 2007.

Mr Brouder said: "A course of ECT can range from around four sessions to 12, meaning that between 2005 and 2008, the number of service users only fluctuated by approximately five or six people.

"This is to be expected year to year, as the course of treatment must be tailored to the severity of the individual's condition."

Mr Brouder said any person who is mentally capable of making a decision is given a choice about whether to receive ECT, but if they are not, the decision has to be made with the patient's carer or advocate.