Consumer group criticises surgeon general on ECT

Although still in preliminary draft form and yet to be released officially to the public, the long awaited US surgeon general's report on mental health has already created an uproar, after a consumer health group released excerpts highlighting the efficacy and safety of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the treatment of depression.

According to the draft report, which cites several clinical studies published between 1993 and 1997, electroconvulsive therapy “is regarded as a safe and effective treatment for depression and …