Sharp rise in the use of shock treatment sparks old debate

Sharp rise in the use of shock treatment sparks old debate

A SHARP increase in the use of electric shock therapy on severely mentally ill Victorians has sparked concerns the controversial psychiatric treatment is being overused.

New figures show almost 20,000 sessions of electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, were carried out on 1791 patients in Victorian hospitals in the past financial year - a 10 per cent increase on procedures carried out in the previous year.

Data from Victoria's chief psychiatrist's yearly report also reveals that seven children aged 17 or younger were given a total of 46 ECT treatments, while a further 163 were administered to an undisclosed number of 18 to 19-year-olds.