ACP-UK members will have recently received notification in August’s edition of Buzz that the Board backs the call for an independent review into the use of ECT.

ECT is a medical treatment recommended for severe or resistant depression that is assessed to be life-threatening. ECT is also recommended as a treatment of last resort and has been reported to be both effective and have minimal side-effects.

In July 2020, 40 mental health practitioners, patients and carers wrote to Matt Hancock, MP and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, expressing concern that there is in fact little evidence for the effectiveness of ECT and growing evidence of harm in the form of brain damage. Since then a number of organisations including MIND have also written to Mr Hancock asking for a review. You can read more here.

We have looked at the evidence and in our letter to Mr Hancock we have highlighted some of the issues that need attention:

• ECT is administered to children and adults, with women being offered this treatment most often
• There are geographical differences in the prescribing of ECT
• ECT can cause brain damage and there is currently no requirement to offer follow-up or rehabilitation
• There is a lack of evidence that ECT is indeed a treatment of last resort

We know that the use or not of ECT is an emotive subject and will be an area to campaign on for some time to come. We intend to find several ways to engage with members on this issue. We believe that Clinical Psychologists have the skills necessary to work with service users who are experiencing severe depression and who are in crisis alongside families, friends and professional networks.

We expect that some work will be needed to persuade the Government that an independent review is necessary. If you would like to write to your MP expressing your support for an independent review you can download a template letter here.