Seanad debate on forced electric shock treatment

THE forced use of electric shock treatment — Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT) —on mentally ill people is to be debated in the Seanad this week.

The debate will focus on the Mental Health Act 2001 with campaigners seeking to have a controversial section of the legislation, 59b, removed from the statute book.

They claim that repealing the section would lead to an end to the use of forced electric shock treatment on some patients.