Reprinted from OCSC:
Hi MindFreedom Oregon TALK list:
I asked for and receive statistics about State of Oregon electroshock
(that is, electroshock by State of Oregon “Hospital”).
Definitely, at least one individual received electroshock over their
expressed wishes, using involuntary electroshock.
What suggestions do you have for us to all do something about that?
Below is e-mail I received (in addition to the involuntary shock…
two are considered ‘voluntary’ though they received via guardian).
~~~~~
From: Robert.E.Nikkel@state.or.us
Date: March 6, 2008 12:30:53 PM PST
Subject: SPAM-LOW: Information on Electro-Convulsive Shock Therapy
(ECT)
To: oaks@mindfreedom.org
Cc: Robert.E.Nikkel@state.or.us, Madeline.M.Olson@state.or.us
David,
The following are ECT statistics for calendar year 2007 and 2008 to
date:
3 voluntary consents for ECT; 1 by patient and 2 by guardian
1 involuntary ECT plus 2 who had override consents but did not
receive ETC.
All ECT sessions are conducted by and at OHSU.
Maynard E. Hammer
Deputy Superintendent
Oregon State Hospital
Oregon Department of Human Services
503-945-2866
Fax: 503-945-9429
e-mail: maynard.e.hammer@state.or.us
Bob Nikkel, MSW
Assistant Director, DHS
Addictions and Mental Health Division (AMH)
500 Summer St NE, E-86
Salem, OR 97301-1118
503-945-9704
fax: 503-373-7327
—
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And a silly animated gif:
moon soup 
In Virginia at Western State Hospital, many (maybe most?) ECT’s are approved by Authorized Representatives who are family members or “next friends” chosen and approved by the state hospital. They don’t have to go to court to be approved as AR’s and don’t have to be approved by the person who they supposedly represent, all it takes is a psychiatrist saying the person lacks capacity for them to end up with an AR. An AR can even sign a Do Not Resuscitate for a person even if they aren’t terminal in Virginia.
Virginia calls ECT approved by an AR “voluntary” too, but it isn’t. We have not been able to get numbers here, they aren’t FOIA’able in Virginia but I know there is a lot more going on in Western than 4 patients through other channels. The local human rights committee tried to stop the number of involuntary ECT’s but was blocked by the Dept. of Mental Health.
I wish I knew a good way to stop this but it’s good you can at least get the information from your state hospital. Maybe publicizing it or finding a sympathetic jounralist to publicize it would help?
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Thanks, hymes,there is definitely a whole lot of variability in the use of involuntary ECT throughout the country. We are lucky that the mental health authorities seem to be responsive to our request for information. It’s still hideous-as hideous as the continuing reliance on large state institutions to provide “care”. As long as we are willing to keep anyone in such a place, we’ll undoubtedly keep many more innocent people in barbaric “hospitals”.
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