Geelong woman speaks out after compulsory electroconvulsive therapy

A Geelong woman who was left traumatised after being involuntarily treated with electroconvulsive therapy says the mental health system is broken.

‘Lisa’ was subjected to involuntary electroconvulsive therapy. Picture: Brad Fleet

A Geelong woman who was involuntarily treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) says the mental health system is broken.

Lisa, not her real name, said she was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder caused by family violence, and attempted suicide in early 2021.

The 22-year-old, who had also been diagnosed with anorexia in 2017, was involuntarily admitted to Barwon Health’s Swanston Centre.

“After I was admitted to the psych ward I was still experiencing a huge influx of symptoms, I was having a lot of flashbacks, I was very sensitive to being triggered,” she said.

“I wasn’t co-operative with them on treatment … I’d never been there before and there was a level of mistrust.”

During her six-week stay at the Swanston Centre in 2021, when she was just 19, Lisa said a tribunal ruled Barwon Health could perform ECT after she refused.

“Security would be called and I would be physically picked up out of my bed, placed on a stretcher and mechanically restrained,” she said.

“I was wheeled across the hospital, begging them not to do it.”

Lisa said this experience triggered trauma.

She would be anaesthetised and given ECT, but she said the treatment was not effective.

After about six sessions, it was discontinued, she said.

“One of the major side effects is memory loss – that was also a trigger,” she said.

“You’d wake up and be very groggy for the next couple of hours, you’d have some muscle aches, you’d be out of it.

“It’s very traumatising.”

In a submission to Victoria’s mental health Royal Commission in 2019, the Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council said: “Any compulsory use of ECT is completely unreasonable.”

Barwon Health’s clinical director of mental health, drugs and alcohol services Steve Moylan said ECT was a highly effective treatment, particularly for depression, mania and schizophrenia, and was most commonly used when these disorders were severe, other treatments had not been effective and the person was at significant risk of harm.

“In very limited circumstances, ECT is provided … on a compulsory basis,” he said.

“Compulsory ECT is highly regulated, with every application to provide compulsory ECT reviewed by the independent Mental Health Tribunal which includes representatives from the community.

“Legislation, guidelines, new technology and advances in clinical knowledge all combine to promote best practice standards so ECT is used appropriately, effectively and safely.”

The new Mental Health and Wellbeing Act that commenced on September 1 requires that voluntary assessment and treatment is preferred over compulsory approaches wherever possible.

A state government spokeswoman said the new Act underpinned the delivery of a transformed system, including improving compulsory mental health assessment, treatment criteria and decision-making provisions.

Prof Moylan said Victoria had embarked on a 10-year reform journey for the mental health system, which included the goal of eliminating the use of restrictive interventions – including restraint.

Prof Moylan said Barwon Health was deeply committed to this reform and in recent years had seen significant reductions in its use of restrictive interventions.

Lisa, who has continued seeking therapy and says she now feels the best she has been, is studying to become a peer worker and advocate for people struggling with mental ill-health.

“So many individuals are left traumatised by the system,” she said.

“This is mainly due to restrictive practices where we are deemed unable to make our own decisions.

“The system still is very broken and there needs to be a lot of reform.

“I think we are slowly taking steps to fix it but it will take a while.”

A pseudonym has been used for legal reasons.

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Originally published as Geelong woman speaks out after compulsory electroconvulsive therapy