Nashville Protest Demands End to Electroshock: CCHR Calls for Ban on Outdated Mental Health Practice

Nashville, Tennessee, 2nd May 2025, ZEX PR WIRE, The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a global mental health watchdog, will host a public protest in Nashville in May, in observance of the International Day of Protest Against Shock Treatment. The event aims to raise awareness about the continued use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also known as electroshock, and to advocate for legislative action to ban the practice, particularly on children and vulnerable populations.

Highlighting the Risks and Lack of Efficacy of Electroshock

Electroconvulsive therapy involves passing up to 460 volts of electricity through the brain to induce seizures, a procedure that has been associated with serious risks, including brain damage, cognitive impairment, permanent memory loss, prolonged or persistent seizures, worsening psychiatric symptoms, cardiovascular complications, breathing complications, and death, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Despite these risks, ECT continues to be administered to an estimated 100,000 Americans annually, including children as young as five. A recent study found that 69% of teenagers who received electroshock suffered memory impairment after the procedure.

Furthermore, research indicates that ECT may not be effective in reducing suicide risk. A study published in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica found that patients who received electroshock were 44 times more likely to die by suicide than people in the general population.

Calls for Legislative Action

CCHR is calling on lawmakers to enact legislation banning the use of electroshock, particularly on children and individuals who have not provided informed consent. This aligns with recent guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, which calls for the prohibition of ECT on children and emphasizes that nonconsensual ECT may constitute a human rights abuse.

About the Citizens Commission on Human Rights

The Citizens Commission on Human Rights is a nonprofit, nonpolitical, nonreligious mental health watchdog organization founded in 1969. CCHR is dedicated to eradicating abuses committed under the guise of mental health and enacting patient and consumer protections. For more information about the protest, please contact: cchrnashville.org.