Electroconvulsive Therapy Causing Repeated Brain Injuries
by Deborah Schwartzkopff
Dr. Bennet Omalu famous for findings of CTE in the NFL, is now on record stating the same is anticipated in Electroshock/ECT patients given repeated brain injuries from electrical mechanism of trauma. Many leading facilities such as Mayo, John Hopkins, and HMO Kaiser Permanente are using ECT and no longer as a last resort, nor just for depression. It is now being used for eating disorders. If you live in or near a moderate size city, some hospital is using it.
I am a retired level one trauma nurse who helped in bringing the current national device suit referenced below. We are working to bring additional types of suits around this issue. I know from my training that this is purely low voltage electrical trauma being passed off for decades as beneficial. ECT “works” in that it creates temporary euphoria, memory loss for difficulties that led to admission, anosognosia, in that patients fail to recognize the extent and severity of incurred damages. These outcomes are all known secondary outcomes of TBI and passed off as helpful.
It is often used for suicidal patients, yet following ECT there is significant increase in suicide. These outcomes are no different from the NFL injuries except it comes from a different mechanism of trauma. You have a known mechanism whether it be blunt force or electrical, you then have a known and anticipated outcome in all populations to include psychiatric. This is how trauma medicine works.
There is a current national product liability suit taking place around the untested ECT devices used. Devices deliver up to 450 volts to the brain and greater to the brain. Used also on our children and Veterans. No FDA testing of device or procedure ever done on the part of the FDA in over 8 decades. Cover ups of harm that generates billions in revenues annually in the US alone. Numbers given of 100,000 that this impacts but are far higher as this practice has greatly increased in the last decade.
All bodily systems are impacted by electrical trauma. Patients warned only of temporary memory loss expected to resolve in six weeks. Providers own research shows actual structural brain changes that result from this. CA courts have proved brain injuries at minimum, yet this continues and risks are still missing from consent.
I have hundreds on survey describing damages they live with after consenting to this procedure. One was filled out by an attorney who had ECT and now cannot recognize the faces of his clients as one outcome of many. I am happy to share the survey with the personal information removed to protect the identity of those that shared. The survey is being used by law firms. My former site ectjustice.com is now under ownership of the law firms participating in national device suit.
Patients are showing damages on MRI, SPECT, PET scan, neuro/cognitive testing, EKG, EEG, etc. Damages from electrical trauma not only include CTE but ALS.
FDA recently declassified devices and procedure from experimental to that of class two, a safety level of syringes and eyeglasses so more insurers could pay out on this. This was reduced with an active suit proving brain injuries, and it was reduced still without any testing of device or procedure. I feel here is a discrimination suit against the FDA is warranted in failure to test as it involves a protected population under the ADA. No other device or procedure could I find so treated on part of the FDA.
Medicare and other insurers paying out large amounts for something not even proven safe or effective by the FDA. Then the government turns around and has to pay out a lifetime of disability payments to people as a direct result of damages from the very same procedure. There is a fraud suit possible I believe involving FTC issues as well.
Given Covid, many people will be offered this to deal with their mental health issues secondary and this needs to be exposed. On youtube under heading ectjustice there are videos on this issue and some are below. There is a book by Linda Andre called Doctors of Deception. Sites also called endofshock.com and ect.org. Articles as it relates also on site, called Mad in America. See blog, section of the DK law group for information around product liability suit.
Video request for medical malpractice/hospital negligence: https://youtu.be/369_F0ZbeZc
Here is a video about general outcomes: https://youtu.be/7BaWGCwnxLg
Class action lawsuit taking place in England now: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/
Submitted by Deborah Schwartzkopff