Tue, 13 May 2008 21:50:5
Catherine Mariano-Gaces - AHN
Ontario, Canada (AHN) - Protesters are calling for the prohibition of electroshock therapy (ECT) commonly used by Canadian psychiatrists on patients with severe depression.
The protest, led by Sue Clark-Wittenberg and members of the International Campaign to Ban Electroshock, was held in Ottawa on Sunday.
The procedure is usually done to cure drug-resistant depression in seniors, according to a report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. However, it is believed that ECT should be stopped as it is painful and can lead to brain damage.
ECT dates back to 1938. The procedure involves electrical currents transmitted through the brain to trigger seizures.
In an estimate by the Canadian Institute for Health Information, ECT has been used 15,000 times in the country last year alone.
The figure had been consistent since 2002.
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