‘Almost mute teen in need of ECT’
Court president Mr Justice Peter Kelly said he wanted to hear from the girl’s parents and treating consultant as part of an application by the HSE for permission to administer ECT, which involves an electric current being passed through the brain or part of it, under anaesthetic.
The judge noted there may be some controversy around the use of ECT and he may want to ask the consultant questions.
The court heard the girl was sent to a UK facility over a year ago suffering from anorexia nervosa complicated by extreme depression.
While her weight was stabilised, her depression was such that she “is now almost mute” and three consultants had used that expression to describe her, said Peter Finlay, for the HSE.
As a result, her clinicians decided that the girl should be treated with ECT.
Mr Finlay said the HSE now needs a court order permitting ECT to take place.
There would then need to be an application to the UK courts seeking an order backing up the Irish order.
Before she was taken to the UK, her parents and clinicians had not consulted legally and, as a result, the need to make these applications had arisen.
It was never intended by the HSE that just because a patient received treatment abroad that their rights here would be lessened, said Mr Finlay. While an application for ECT for a minor must be approved by the courts here, under our Mental Health Act, that is not necessarily the case in the UK.
However, the UK clinicians had said they would support the treatment.
Mr Justice Kelly granted Mr Finlay an order appointing an independent social worker as guardian ad litem to represent the girl’s interests in the court proceedings.
A solicitor for the parents said they were anxious the application should be heard as soon as possible.
Mr Justice Kelly will hear the matter tomorrow.
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