Electroconvulsive Therapy without General Anesthesia and the Human Rights of Mental Health Patients: Some Reflections on a Recent Situation in Chile

Abstract

The use of unmodified electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), i.e., ECT without general anesthesia, vis-a-vis human rights of mental health patients and standards of care, is discussed. An overview of unmodified ECT is provided, followed by an account of recent events in Chile, where the Minister of Health referred the administration of unmodified ECT to the judicial system. The article concludes with a proposal to launch a voluntary system of accreditation, by which countries willing to have their mental health services accredited by the World Health Organization (WHO) would commit themselves to give unrestricted, unannounced, and at short-notice access to independently appointed the WHO representatives to their community and inpatient mental health facilities.