Dr. John Breeding Testifies on Electroshock Therapy

[greenbay4901]

I had shock treatments in 2004. it helped for maybe 4 or 5 months than my depression came back. from 2005 to 2011 I tried every anti-dpressant drugs possible. non of them worked. because of that I said to myself, why not try the shock treatments again since I felt good back in 2005. I did have 14 of them and it really made it worse. my nose was bleeding very often, felt like throwing up many times, my concentration is bad, I have memory loss and felt very suicidal. it should be banned

[brownp04]

ECT isn't used "just for depression". Its indications are

- severe non responsive depression,

- depression with psychotic or catatonic features

- Patients in urgent need of response.

It is not something given lightly, it is used as a last resort becuase of debilitating side effects. Psychiatrists are intelligent people, I'm sure they assess their patients carefully and use the most effective treatment available.

[dfowler351976]

the problem is in many hosptials it is used very lightly, in fact they give it for mild depression, even at the best, as I've been a candidate myself, and had ECT when I was not suicidally depressed. It also destoryed my memories, in so many ways, long, short, working, and it seems to be permanent. Just wikipedia ECT and read the huge section on brain damage. see for yourself, from both sides, then talk to all the forced ECT survivors who were forced ect, most were not a harm to themselves.

[dfowler351976]

psychiatrists can still do bad science, as a worker at NAMI and doing my own research, I have seen bad psychiatric practice happen all the time, and it seems to be the norm these days. I lay on a bed after my ect, with no memories that I had prior, I also have myriad of other torturous symptoms. Everyone I've talked to at my work, has suffered debilitating memory and personality loss, most can't work, just occasionally volunteer at abest.

[chas93101]

I had ECT in my 20''s, 40 years ago and I still can't remember anything worth while of my life prier to that. I surfed from post traumatic stress syndrome from a violent child hood. I do remember the violence and the disabling fear and pain. But I do not remembers all the simple things, like walking home from school or of a hepper early childhood. The tragic thing is I never had hallucination or negative symptoms till after ECT. It just added more traumatic stress to what I had already had.

[Glamrma]

One of the commentators said something about being a little less sad. That is not a good trade off. Being sad is part of the human condition. Pharmaceutical companies and some physicians are try psychotopic drugs as the first line of medication and treatment rather than trying other less toxic modalities. Please do some research on the issue. It will shock you. Pun intended!

[drewbocop]

What's wrong with that guy? He might have had some electroshocks himself!

[venushalley]

reading through entries... some of the pro-ECT people seem bit... linguistically challenged. They have bad grammar, they cannot really form a good argument.

I don't want to make any definitive conclusion... but I guess there is something true about this brain-butchery having effect on your IQ.

and as for "saving life"... I would rather be dead than a shell of person who cannot remember her past.

[caketheorry]

What a clown, Ive had ECT and It helped me and many of my friends alot

[klard]

The monsters that impose such unfounded and torturous treatments need to be imprisoned. What kind of society such psychopaths to roam freely doing aw they please?

[brownp04]

ECT is the most sucessful treatment for severe depression available.

Its not my opinion, its an evidence based, medical fact.

Its also the reason why "Dr" Breedings campaign has been so unsuccessful.

[billysue2]

@brownp04 its sucessful relatively in the short term,they always have to get repeat doses,it doesnt help them deal with their issues at all,it should be kept for completely intractable cases.As far as i know ,the memory loss nearly always subsides.

[venushalley]

@billysue2 I heard people say it works for few weeks if not less. Who would risk memory loss and other cognitive impairment for that?

[stefanierose88]

@brownp04 it is not medical fact by any means. where are your references? if you have any, I'm sure you can trace it back to the ones who benefit from the practice.

[caketheorry]

@brownp04 You are absolutely right, it is the most effective treatment by far and even better in treatment resistant cases

[returnoftheramble3]

I'm going to have to try something to undo novacaine. I will get some face.

[macdisciple]

Watch Sherwin Nuland's video. ECT works for 80% of patients. The statistics do not lie.

[venushalley]

@macdisciple define works. Is that person living full life after the treatment is over? or are the just little bit less sad?

[Onepretentiousdude]

@macdisciple

No it isn't, it's cruel and inhumane.

[DigGil1]

@macdisciple When it's about the mind results are subjective. And the medic's (read external) opinion seems more important than the patients in many cases.

[caketheorry]

in zoos?

[eclipsez0r]

they still use electroshock therapy??? !!!

[AutumnSkyie]

Wow, what a powerful sentence to end with! O.O Great work sir!

[syed15j]

Stop using human beings as guinea pigs (test subjects).

Keep up the good work John!

God Bless!!

[nrang1]

I find it mindboggleing that such a "treatment" still exists, barbaric.

[danieldedaldo]

You realize that modern ECT is mainly used to treat patients whose lives are threatened mainly by extreme cases of depression. ECT is used as a last resort when other methods have failed including behavioral and drug therapy. The reason is that in some of those cases ECT is the only method that works, and may in turn actually save those patients lives by reducing depression and giving them back the will to live. What would you rather lose; a part of your memory or your whole live?

[venushalley]

@danieldedaldo memories are part of who you are. If you lose yourself (some people had lost pretty much all their life's memories... or were unable to perform basic tasks like brushing teeth)... the person is a shell of themselves... body lives...but does it really matter? you cannot shock will to live into person.

[BlueEyedCelt]

Dr John is beautiful human being, his ethos of connecting with people is what distinguishes him from his contemporaries. I would question the validity of their intentions to become a health care professional in this field, most are self aggrandising parasites that only wish to pilot new drug studies & attract big pharma sponsorship for the prestige of status, usually at the expense of the poor trampled on souls, exploited, they dis-empower these people & isolate them even further sadly.

[leereyno]

Scientology is an evil mind control cult.

But that doesn't mean ECT is good.

[Gary35724]

Respect for you and your work John

God bless

[photo986]

To Dr John Breeding. I was a victim of the CIA's MKultra brainwash program. Among other things i was subjected to Page Russell Electric shocks every 2nd day which erased most of my memory prior to the age of 20. I am sure you have heard of Page Russell. My story is on You Tube called youkilledyourmother

[reneenicolea]

i have had ECT (over 40 treatments) and it is helped me immensely. i do not regret for one moment using this treatment to help my severe depression.

[thesparitan]

this is true and a proven result

this guy is terrible i wonder where he got his phD,  ECT is the most effective treatment for depression better then all drugs.

[RugbyHockeySoccer]

Id like to see you strapped down, and shocked; asshole.

[thesparitan]

i was asshole

[RugbyHockeySoccer]

Well then I apologize

[LORDGODSIRALEXFERGIE]

Well done Dr Breeding! Common sense dictates that this vile practice be outlawed. It is a fact that since the 1870's to present day, psychiatry has not helped or cured ONE SINGLE PERSON! - Despite trillions of dollars, and they admit it!

Is it just me or is this just a little bit flawed?

[Rotulette]

Be extremely careful : this man supports the sect of scientology !

Inform yourself please before being a prey. Too many victims of sects in the world :-(

[neohashi]

Overlapping interests of different groups does not prove nor disprove anything.

If a group, whom you would label as untrustworthy , said that 2 + 2 = 4 then you would hardly automatically assume this to be wrong.

Though I don't agree with everything Breeding says, overall I find a lot of it to be true. Psychiatry is not a hard science.. perhaps doe to the fact that understanding the mind with its ~50 billions neurons communicating through ~100 trillion synapses is quite hard.

[rajasmasala]

As long as he's not trying to make us all believe aliens rule the world or whatever, what's wrong with that? As a writer, I myself know how hard it is to access a state of mind where you can properly empathise with another person, or even be properly creative, or keep track of sound games. I resort to a kind of short term isolation. It's possible he uses Scientology for a similar consensus-muting function. I mean, he's a psychiatrist trying to deal with extreme states of mind, for god's sake.

[rajasmasala]

not that I even know if what you said about him being a scientologist is true.

[Rotulette]

I only said friendship with $cientology is dangerous. This sect uses false informations to catch people.

$cientology kills.

[rajasmasala]

so does Christianity. or Islam. or Judaism. Probably on a more institutional scale, though. I admit I'm Singaporean and don't know much about Scientology, though. I can imagine that if I was sincere about treating paranoid/other schizophrenics one way I might understand them is to get into a religion "that kills".

[krftwrk77]

I'd prefer ECT to E-Meter of Xenu freaks any time of the week.

[efgeesus]

ECT is horrendous and needs banned.

Good to see something being done about it.

[clapyourhands008]

dude i have heard many a testimony that ect has changed lives for the better. I say nobody has the right to abolish or ban what you may CHOOSE to do with your own body. I think the issue should be more about consent and if the patient is able to give consent to this type of therapy. But for the candidate able to make his/her own decision, THEY decide.

[RogueTheElfWarrior]

Microchips are nothing more than marks of the beast. I would rather die a slow death than accept a demonic thing like this into any part of my body. If anyone wants to know what I'm talking about, then dot down Mark of The Beast on the internet and you'll see what I mean.

[oleshatterbutt]

Where are the city councilmen?He is talking to about 4 people!That is sad

[aaahhhhaaaahhhh]

you do what you can

[AetherWisp]

Rich people raise their kids in a perfect "biosphere: complete with nanny's and over-seas education. Poor kids are left to their own vices. Really, equal the playing arena for accurate results from the two.

[forgotmypassword3]

in the end, you reap what you sow.

[Encefalus]

A very interesting video

[glitcher21]

I've had 10 rounds of ECT myself, and it was painful, and generally unpleasant. A person who is insane enough to want ECT is NOT in a proper mindset to agree to a procedure like that. I would NOT go through ECT agian

[bertrand756]

did ECT hurt your ability to think?

[glitcher21]

Not really, but I have almost no short or long term memory as a result.

[scrip7ki77y]

BOTH your short term and long term were affected?? Are they still? Because that's extremely rare. The short term memory lapses are generally temporary.

Some people who look into this are suffering from some extreme trauma in their life. It's a little unfair to deem them insane.

Also, it shouldn't hurt. I don't know what kind of quack you went to, but before the procedure, you're given muscle relaxers and anesthetics. The only time you should've experienced any discomfort was after the procedure.

[Screwhammmer]

Then do it already you worthless fuck!

[forgotmypassword3]

true. It's annoying to hear me complain, isn't it? Then again, it's not like we were having an actual conversation. Ignore what you don't like. Otherwise, you're complimenting it in a different fashion; you've given it additional attention that it obviously doesn't deserve, huh?

[dawncarol1]

I wish we had such a good advocate in England to ban ect - I will not rest up until I see it banned world-wide like it is in Belgium.

I heared on BBC radio that America is putting battery packs on kids getting in to trouble and shocking them - there should be worldwide outrage about this or where will it all end - God help us all.

[gp5791]

What do you mean it s banned in Belgium? My friend a full time patient asked for it and she get's ect. Can anybody give me a source about the abollishment in Belgium.

[Go0Go0Barabajagal]

I heard in England they implant microchips in peoples' brains that when stimulated by a remote control, force the person to do the jitterbug until they die from exhaustion! You're ridiculous. I think maybe your the one whose brain's been fried

[Go0Go0Barabajagal]

That was to Dawncarol1 just to clarify. Although it's also funny glitcher21 suggests a person who would agree to ECT wouldn't be in a proper mindset to agree to... oh wait? So only an insane person would want ECt... oh... wait.

[alanna4858]

IS there a rest of this testamony?

I wanna see it...

Alanna

[psychetruth]

You will also find a number of videos on youtube by people that did receive ECT treatment that said it didn't help them. Some of them are in my favorites, I recommend watching the troublewithspikols video on ECT. She is quite beautiful, articulate and entertaining to watch.

[psychetruth]

You haven't talked to people that have received ECT. I've talked to at least 2 dozen of them. Only one person had anything good to say about it. One lady couldn't even remember who her husband and child were after ECT.

[psychpatient101]

Actually there are video's of a guy who is payed to give shock treatments and suppose to give out data about these treatments. The last guy who had his job was in the business of selling shock treatment machines. The new guy's thesis or his final paper at the end of his college classes was- how to fool your self into believing something that's not true and supporting the idea with conviction. Hmm wonder why he was picked to do the job?

[TronZaphod]

I liked this video. It's new to me. I will consider frowning on electro shock now as a practice however do you have any vids supporting the practice i would like to hear both side more importantly i would like the hear the "fanboys" of both sides to make a more firm and informed judgement.

[psychetruth]

You won't find many pro-ECT videos. In my experience, the majority of people that receive the treatment have very bad things to say about it. Search around YouTube for consumer videos and see what people that have had it have to say about it. In my favorites you will find "The Trouble with Spikol: The ECT Story" watch that, it's really good.

[sd41308]

@psychetruth something more needs to be done. a fund set up for those that have gone through it and want to go through therapy to regain some of what is lost in the brain. a ECT rehab facility. It's not enough to say its bad. we need to help those of us who have gone through it.

[koochy79]

@TronZaphod ECT has been successful for me actually. I think it should only be used as a last resort, but it does help some people like myself... I receive it right unilateral and have never had many side effects from it in the way of memory....but hey... I'll take a little bit of forgetfulness when you consider how much this treatment helps my depression.... I just have to have a few maintenance ECT treatments every now and then, but I have ECT to thank for why I am doing so much better now.

[AnxiousAvoidant]

what about the low intensity electroshock therapy the can cut addiction to any drug(nicotine, heroine, cocaine, etc...). each drug affects the dopamine levels in the brain and apparently each drug has different electric frequency to cancel out the addiction. and it dosen,t affect the personality. i heard about this on TV a few months ago.

have you heard of it? can it work?

[ManSeekingMonkey]

really? why hasnt that been made more accessible to people and why isnt that everywhere by now with all the fucking addictions out there... holy crap do a video on the psychetruth!

[psychetruth]

There has never been ANY biological intervention that has ever cured a mental disorder. That's the sad but factual truth. Playing w/ brain chemical doesn't cure mental disorders, it just covers up the symptoms or dopes the guy up so much, he doesn't care or calms down despite his mental upset. See my video "Cures for Mental Illness" and "Recovery Redefined".

[AnxiousAvoidant]

i saw it one day when i took a sick day off collage on a day-time tv show, and never heard of it since. that could put the credability down. it was only like the size of a gameboy.

looking back on it i think it may have been a prototype created in a Scottish university and was successfully tested on a small group of heroine addicts. if it did work it would have to go through a few years of testing.

[AnxiousAvoidant]

h t t p : //news.scotsman . c o m /topics.cfm?tid=1162&id=262972­007

article (take out spaces)

[psychetruth]

This thing has actually been around since the 70s. I found some actual double-blind clinical trials w/ it. 1992 Study "A randomized double-blind study of neuroelectric therapy in opiate and cocaine detoxification." found "There was no significant difference between the active or placebo groups, suggesting that placebo was as effective as active NET in reducing drug withdrawal or craving during cocaine and opiate detoxification."

[psychetruth]

Your talking about neuroelectric therapy which was developed in the late 70s. It's akin to acupuncture. It's a very small amount of electricity and most likely capitalizes on a placebo effect. During ECT someone is given enough electricity to cause a grand mal seizure. They aren't comparable really.