Select Committee Report on ECT
On 27th November 2007, a Select Committee for the New Zealand Government released a report on the 2005 petition against ECT on children, pregnant women and the elderly by Dr Helen Smith.
You can download the report from the government's website:
Select Committee's Report on Dr Helen Smith's ECT petition
The report is 28 pages long, and recommends
- That ECT should only be used as a last resort because of the 'potential side effects'.
- That the RANZCP develop guidelines into a national professional standard, clearly defining that the circumstances where a person can be forced to have ECT should be more restricted.
- That Section 60 of the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act be amended so that ECT is only given with a patient's consent where possible. When this is not possible a truly independent second opinion must be obtained.
- That ECT is only given to pregnant women only with informed consent and only in emergency when there are no other options available.
- That data on the rates of ECT given to pregnant women be collected and reported on annually and the outcomes monitored.
- That ECT should only be given to children and young people when certifying clinicians are of the opinion that there is no other option available.
- That consideration be given to requiring an order under the Protection of Personal Property Rights Act 1988 when ECT is given to the elderly.
- That when people have made valid advanced directives to say they don't want ECT, the advanced directives should be honoured.
MEDIA RELEASE
29/11/07 from the Patients Rights Advocacy Waikato Incorporated.
Patients Rights Advocacy Waikato Incorporated welcomes call for tighter Electro Convulsive Shock control.
The Patients Rights Advocacy Waikato Incorporated welcomes the call from Parliament's Health Select Committee to tighten restrictions for the use of Electronic Convulsive Shock Torture, (ECT).
Anna de Jonge, Patients Rights Advocate asserts: "This is a positive step towards seeing the use of Electro Convulsive Shock being restricted. I strongly believe this has no place in a free and democratic society and should be outlawed completely."
As the law stands now, any patient can be subjected to forced Electro Convulsive Shock by a psychiatrist, under Section 59 and Section 60 of the Mental Health Act 1992. Informed consent does not come into it.
Electro Convulsive Shock is measured out to children, pregnant and elderly women even though their consent has not been obtained.
If someone is subject to the Mental Health Act, they are often forced to take drugs against their will and so lose the capacity to make informed decisions. Says de Jonge: "They therefore should be protected from the kind of harm caused by ECT, which does inflict long-term damage, including memory loss."
The Patients Rights Advocacy would like to see a lot more done to protect people from harm. "Forced drugging with harmful drugs should be avoided. Doctors should instead have a wellness plan, with good nutritional advice and employ therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy and self help options. Empathy should replace harmful drugging," de Jonge said.
"Awareness and availability of such options needs to be increased to ensure that people not only know what is available to them, but ensure that they can easily access such treatments when they need them," concluded de Jonge.
View a news article on the report from stuff.co.nz