Number of patients undergoing electroshock therapy rises by 15%

Darragh Mc Donagh

A total of 236 psychiatric patients underwent electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in Ireland last year, 31 of whom had not consented to the treatment, new figures have revealed.

A report published by the Mental Health Commission (MHC) also found that one in five of the services that administered ECT without consent during 2024 failed to comply with the rules governing the use of the therapy.

There was a 15 per cent increase in the number of patients undergoing the controversial treatment last year, 87 per cent of whom were suffering from mood disorders, according to the MHC report.

Patients ranged in age from 21 to 89, and 61 per cent were female. Resistance to medication was cited as the most common reason for ECT, accounting for 192 treatments. Improvement was reported in 91 per cent of programmes.

ECT or electroshock therapy is a medical procedure used to treat certain severe mental health conditions, usually when other treatments have not been effective.

It involves an electric current being passed through the brain to intentionally trigger a seizure, which usually lasts for less than a minute. It is not fully understood how ECT works.

The therapy has been the subject of criticism. MindFreedom Ireland, an organisation representing former psychiatric patients, held a protest outside the GPO last May, calling for its abolition.

It describes ECT as “outdated and dehumanising”, claiming that it causes trauma, brain damage, and enduring memory loss.

The MHC report revealed that 2,580 individual ECT treatments were administered at 14 approved centres last year, representing an increase of 16 per cent compared to 2023. The average number of treatments in each programme was 8.19.

Out of 66 approved centres monitored by the mental health watchdog, just 14 use ECT, while another seven refer patients elsewhere for the treatment. St. Patrick’s University Hospital administered 141 programmes of ECT last year, while St. John of God Hospital administered 42.

Some 80 per cent of the services administering ECT to involuntary patients last year failed to comply with the rules governing the therapy, while 12.5 per cent were not compliant with the code of practice on the use of ECT.

The MHC report also revealed that 20 patients withdrew their consent after commencing their programme of ECT last year.