The following is an excerpt from an article published today by the BBC. 

"An NHS Trust used electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) three times more than the national average on "a whim rather than science", a report said.
ECT involves passing electric currents through a patient's brain to cause seizures to treat severe depression.

"A 2019 audit shows Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) gave ECT to 169 patients.

"It said it had a "good provision of accredited clinics" which "may mean" it provides more sessions.

"Psychologists campaigning for better regulation of the practice sent a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to all 56 NHS Trusts.
Across the 37 trusts which responded, 1,964 people underwent the treatment in 2019 - giving a average of 53.

"Dr Chris Harrop, the report's co-author, said they were "surprised" by the "large discrepancy" between trusts.

"Some barely used them but AWP were using them way more than any other trust in the country," he said.

"If it was following evidence-based medicine it would be the same everywhere but it's not and we suspect it's more due to clinicians' whims more than any science behind it."

"The FOI also revealed ... 

To read the full article, please click here