A review by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) International of more than 50 psychiatric hospitals across 23 states has found that facilities administering electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are grossly failing to provide adequate risk information on their websites. None of the hospitals have updated their materials to reflect the adverse effects that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required for mitigating risks in 2018, according to CCHR. The organization states that tens of thousands of Americans, including children, are not being warned about long-term memory loss and potential brain damage, warranting a government investigation and review of the need to ban ECT devices.
Thousands opposed the FDA's 2018 reclassification of ECT devices from high-risk Class III to lower-risk Class II for limited uses, with many calling for an outright ban. The FDA's final rule justified the change partly by requiring patient labeling to warn that "[t]he long-term safety and effectiveness of ECT treatment has not been demonstrated" and recommending formal neuropsychological assessments before and during treatment to monitor cognitive damage. However, none of the facilities reviewed report this information.
CCHR's review also shows that the hospitals failed to warn of permanent memory loss (88% of hospitals), cardiovascular problems (69%), and the right to refuse consent (88%). Federal agencies bear much of ECT's costs, even though psychiatrists admit it cannot cure and often requires ongoing "maintenance" treatments. A private insurance analysis found ECT patients hospitalized 4 to 29 days longer than those receiving standard treatment, with additional healthcare costs of $5,700 to $52,700.
Psychiatrists who practice ECT often earn roughly twice the salary of other psychiatrists. ECT is estimated to be a $5.05 – $7.6 billion-a-year industry. ECT delivers up to 460 volts of electricity through the brain to induce a grand mal seizure, involving loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions. Higher voltages used today have increased risks. Devices were grandfathered in 1976 without premarket approval or clinical trials proving safety and efficacy.
The FDA's 2018 Final Rule specified there is no clinical data supporting safety and efficacy for schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or mania (which remain Class III). Despite this, 71% (37) of the hospitals promote ECT for schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorders—including the Department of Veterans Affairs—and 35% (18) promote it for mania. The FDA lists mania and worsening psychiatric symptoms as adverse effects. Some also promote it off-label for autism, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and dementia, despite ECT's known memory loss effects.
Many hospital claims are misleading and unsubstantiated, including comparing ECT to jump-starting a car battery (a jump start typically uses 12 to 14 volts—ECT uses more than 30 times that), and stating ECT "turns the brain on and off just like a computer." The need for full informed consent regarding ECT has been upheld in courts, especially with a warning about potential brain damage. Expert testimony before the Nebraska Supreme Court (2025) concluded that "ECT causes persistent or permanent memory loss and brain damage in a substantial proportion of recipients—somewhere between 12% and 55%," a finding which the court upheld.
Neuropathologists equate ECT's effects to traumatic brain injury, with victims suffering permanent cognitive impairment. The FDA erroneously believed that involuntary ECT is "uncommon" and always requires a judicial proceeding. In reality, state laws vary widely: six states have no ECT laws; many jurisdictions lack provisions for judicial oversight. Only seven states require a court order for ECT on minors; 12 have no regulations for children. Texas and California ban ECT on minors, due to CCHR's actions.
CCHR, which was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and Dr. Thomas Szasz, calls for individuals damaged by ECT to report the abuse to it and encourages families and doctors to watch its documentary, Electroshock: Therapy or Torture.
