Achievement of Full Human Rights and Appropriate Support for People with Emotional Distress and Psychiatric Diagnoses

Mode of action, risks & damages of electroshock

Lehmann, Peter (2025 – in print): "Like fire and water: Mainstream psychiatry and World Health Organisation. New WHO guidance on mental health policy clarifies extreme positions of mainstream psychiatr&yquot;. In: Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy, Vol. 25, No. 3. Online resource https://peter-lehmann.de/articles/lehmann/pdf/fire-water.pdf
Lehmann, Peter (2022): "A concise guide to electroshock: Indications, mode of action, risks, alternatives". In: Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy, Vol. 22, No. 3, pp. 36-45. Online resource https://peter-lehmann.de/articles/lehmann/pdf/lehmann-eshock.pdf

Lehmann, Peter (June 28, 2010): "The self, schizophrenia and neuroleptic iatrogenic injury in mental health and social care". Keynote PowerPoint presentation to the 13th International Conference of the International Network of Philosophy and Psychiatry: "Real People: The Self in Mental Health and Social Care". Macdonald Manchester Hotel, Manchester, United Kingdom. Online resource https://peter-lehmann.de/docu/sucideregister.pdf
Lehmann, Peter (2010): "Medicalization and irresponsibility". In: Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 209-217. Online resource https://peter-lehmann.de/articles/lehmann/pdf/medicalization-jcpcp.pdf
Lehmann, Peter (2009): Review of the book "Doctors of deception – What they don't want you to know about shock treatment" by Linda Andre [2009]. In: Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy, Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 231-232. Online resource https://peter-lehmann.de/articles/lehmann/pdf/andre-review.pdf
Lehmann, Peter (May 9, 2009): "Towards the ban on electroshock". Unpublished paper. Online resource https://peter-lehmann.de/articles/lehmann/e-shock-ban.htm
Lehmann, Peter (1994): "The medical model, diagnostics and treatment methods" (pp. 28-30). In: European Network of Users and Ex-Users in Mental Health (eds.): "The second European conference of users and ex-users in mental health – The international people's college". Amsterdam: European Network of Users and Ex-Users in Mental Health. Online resource https://peter-lehmann.de/articles/lehmann/pdf/medical-modell.pdf
Lehmann, Peter (1988): "How to produce normality with electricity". In: Phoenix Rising – The Voice of the Psychiatrized, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 36-37. Online resource https://peter-lehmann.de/articles/lehmann/pdf/ect-howto.pdf

Articles by further authors

Andre, Linda: Psychologist, psychiatrist, and shock doctor lies for fun and for profit. About the self-proclaimed "world expert" on electroshock, Harold Sackheim
Andre, Linda: Doctors of Deception: What They Don't Want You to Know About Shock (Book from 2009)
Breggin, Peter: Disturbing News for Patients and Shock Doctors. New findings of permanent brain damage and dysfunction caused by e-shocks. Article from the Huffington Post from April 1, 2007
Committee for Truth in Psychiatry: First victory in ECT lawsuit! Jury awards survivor US-$ 635.177 (May 2006)
ECTresources.org: Scientific papers with an index of subjects, such as brain damage, coma, EEG flat lining, abuse of women, and the like. Also with a color brochure to help stop ECT
ECT Justice! Have you suffered from Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)? Expose the Truth
ect.org/resources/research.html: list of resources about scientific proven damages of electroshock
Electroshock doctors hall of shame
Frank, Leonard Roy: The Electroshock Quotationary. Online publication from June 2006
Karen, David: ECT Shock Treatment Class Action –: Case Update. DK Law Group, LLP filed a case against Mecta Corporation and Somatics, LLC, the two manufacturers of shock devices. The Complaint alleges that both Defendants, as the only two manufacturers that make and deliver shock devices, wholly failed to comply with the FDA's requirements applicable to medical device manufacturers (April 21, 2018) / See also www.madinamerica.com/2018/10/huge-breakthrough-ect-lawsuit/
Law Project for Psychiatric Rights: Collection of material about electroshock
McLaren, Niall: No Psychiatrist Needs to Use ECT. Article from June 27, 2017 by a psychiatrist who managed over 15,000 consecutive, unselected public patients in a wide variety of settings, without once using it.
MindFreedom (Support Coalition International): Resolution against Electroshock – A Crime against Humanity (July 28, 2001)
Read, John / Bentall, Richard: The effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy: A literature review. Article from Epidemiologia e Psichiatria Sociale (2010); Abstract: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21322506
Read, John / Johnstone, Lucy / Price Hancock, Sarah / Harrop, Chris / Morrison, Lisa (July 2025). A survey of 1144 ECT recipients, family members and friends: Does ECT work? International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 34(4), e70109. Online publication https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.70109
Robertson, Harold / Pryor, Robin: Memory and cognitive effects of ECT: informing and assessing patients. Article from Advances in Psychiatric Treatment (2006)
Roky Erickson Documentary, video on YouTube. See different US-American artists – all calling for a ban of electroshock
Rose, Diana / Wykes, Til / Leese, Morven / Bindman, Jonathan / Fleischmann, Pete: Patients' perspectives on electroconvulsive therapy: systematic review. Article from the British Medical Journal (2003)
Rufer, Marc: What about Electroshock? (pp. 394-396), in: Marc Rufer: Psychiatry – Its Diagnostic Methods, Its Therapies, Its Power (pp. 382-399), in: Peter Stastny & Peter Lehmann (Eds.), Alternatives beyond Psychiatry, 2007 / E-Book 2025 xxxInfobutton xxx
Somatics LLC: Thymatron^® System IV. User Manual, UM-TS4, Rev. 22, Venice, FL: Somatics LLC 2024. Online resource https://www.thymatron.com/downloads/System_IV_Instruction_Manual_Rev22.pd
Sterling, Peter: ECT damage is easy to find if you look for it, in: Nature, Vol. 403 (2000), p. 242
Sterling, Peter: Testimony to the New York State Assembly about brain damage by electroconvulsive "therapy" (2001)
Stevens, Lawrence: Psychiatry's Electroconvulsive shock treatment – A Crime Against Humanity

Weitz, Don: Electroshock Must Be Banned as Crime Against Humanity – Article from Street Spirit (August 2005)

Last updated on February 24, 2026