LOS ANGELES — A forthcoming University of Houston study undermines the core electrical theory that psychiatrists have used for decades to claim electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is safe. The research, which analyzed a high-resolution three-dimensional model of the head, found that contrary to the 'shunting theory' — which posits that the scalp harmlessly diverts 90–95% of the current away from the brain — 82.5% of the current actually flows through the cerebrospinal fluid and brain, with only 1.5% through the scalp. This suggests that the brain is exposed to far more electrical current than previously believed.
The findings have prompted the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) to renew its calls for a ban on ECT devices. CCHR points to additional concerns raised by experts involved in the study: electrical energy converts to heat in the brain, and higher current can cause tissue damage or cell death. Electricity can also create pores in cell membranes through a process called electroporation, which can overwhelm the brain's repair mechanisms and lead to cell death.
Professor John Read, a leading ECT researcher, likens the effects of ECT to a closed-head injury, noting documented changes in the brain similar to traumatic brain injury. CCHR says the Food and Drug Administration's 2018 decision to lower the risk classification of ECT devices should be overturned, citing the agency's authority to ban devices that pose an 'unreasonable and substantial risk' of injury.
In the U.S., an estimated 100,000 people undergo ECT annually, and CCHR has documented its use on teenagers and, in some states, children as young as five. Jan Eastgate, president of CCHR International, stated, 'Electroshock devices meet the FDA threshold for reconsideration. Decades of research document brain damage, memory loss, cognitive deficits, and mortality, while regulators have never required evidence of long-term safety or effectiveness.'
CCHR has a history of advocating against ECT, having helped secure the first bans for minors in California (1976) and Texas (1993). The World Health Organization declared in 2005 that there are no indications for ECT on minors and recommended legislative prohibition. Western Australia banned ECT for under-14s in 2014, and Ireland banned it for all under-18s in May 2026.
Survivors describe severe consequences. Eastgate herself received ECT as a teenager after her underactive thyroid was misdiagnosed as depression, leading to searing head pain, memory loss, and failure to recognize her mother. More recently, Paris Jackson disclosed undergoing nine 'painful' ECT sessions, experiencing amnesia and severe head pain. Utah Rep. Jake Sawyer, who received ECT in 2018, reported long-term damage and memory loss, saying, 'I've lost many, many, many years of memories.'
The study, presented at the IEEE EMC+SIPI 2026 Symposium, is set for further examination. CCHR is calling for all electroshock methods to be prohibited for all ages, emphasizing the need to protect patients from an unnecessary and harmful practice.
