Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric procedure that delivers up to 150 volts of electricity through a person’s brain to induce a grand mal seizure.
You didn't think this still happened. But it does. And it's barbaric.
The FDA reclassified these devices in 2018—without requiring new clinical trials. The result? Over 100,000 Americans undergo this treatment each year, with known risks of permanent memory loss, brain damage, and death.
This isn’t a fringe conspiracy. It’s federally funded. It’s happening now. And it has NEVER been proven safe.
The evidence is damning: FDA loopholes. Legal battles. Taxpayer dollars fueling private harm.
end the silence—and the seizures.
Demand action from Congress on ECT.
What Is Electroconvulsive Therapy?
ECT is a psychiatric procedure that delivers up to 450 volts of electricity through the brain to trigger seizures lasting up to a minute. Marketed as treatment for depression, mental illness, and even agitation in dementia, ECT has never undergone rigorous FDA safety of efficacy trials — allowed instead through regulatory loopholes with little to no oversight.
The Harm They Don’t Talk About
ECT causes well-documented brain damage and memory loss. Patients who undergo it are 44x more likely to die by suicide, and 1 in 15 faces cardiac complications. U.S. courts have ruled against manufacturers for failing to warn patients.
Despite decades of use, ECT has been tied to severe, life-altering side effects. Here’s what the data — and thousands of survivors — reveal:
Brain Damage
Documented neurological injury and visible brain atrophy in post-ECT scans.
Memory Loss
Short- and long-term memory impairment is common, with some survivors losing decades.
Suicide Risk
Patients who undergo ECT are 44x more likely to die by suicide post-treatment.
Cardiac Complications
About 1 in 15 ECT patients faces life-threatening heart complications.
This isn’t medicine. It’s violence with a medical license.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is still used on people with depression, PTSD, postpartum distress, and dementia. Victims include children, teenagers, and the elderly — many never had true informed consent.
Survivors, scientists, and human rights advocates are demanding a federal ban. With your help, we can shut it down.
Stand with us. Speak out. Take action.
The Truth They Don’t Tell You About Electroshock
Discover the hidden history, legal loopholes, and systemic failures that allow ECT to remain in use — even on children, veterans, and the elderly.
1. No Safety Trials Ever Conducted
Unlike other high-risk medical procedures, ECT devices were exempt from clinical trials under a 1976 FDA loophole. The result: a device never tested by modern scientific standards is still in use today.
2. FDA Reclassified ECT — Ignoring Public Outcry
In 2018, the FDA downgraded ECT devices from Class III (high risk) to Class II (moderate risk) for some conditions. This reclassification ignored over 3,400 public comments and denied a citizen petition calling for a ban.
3. Still Used for Unapproved Diagnoses
While reclassified for limited conditions, ECT is still legally administered for any psychiatric diagnosis. The FDA doesn’t regulate medical practice — so “off-label” use is common and unmonitored.
4. Profit Over Patients
ECT remains a billion-dollar industry propped up by insurance reimbursements. Hospitals and providers are incentivized to keep it going.
5. Courts Have Ruled — Manufacturers Are Liable
Judges have sided with survivors in multiple cases, holding ECT manufacturers responsible for failing to warn patients.
Real People. Real Courage.
Real Harm.
Hear from those who’ve lived through ECT—and join them in the fight to protect others from harm.
“They said it would help. I came out broken. I lost decades of memory, and no one ever told me this could happen.”
Michelle Himes
ECT Survivor & Legal Advocate
Decades of peer-reviewed research, government filings, and international statements confirm the risks and rights violations tied to ECT.
Scientific Evidence of Harm
ECT causes irreversible brain damage.
Regulatory Failures and Public Backlash
Despite no clinical trials, ECT is still FDA-cleared and government-funded.
Global Human Rights Condemnation
The UN calls involuntary ECT torture. The U.S. still funds it through Medicare and the VA.
The voices of survivors have broken the silence.
Now we need the rest of the world to listen.
If you're horrified by what you've just learned, do something about it. Tell Congress this ends now.