FDA Considers Caving to Scientology and Making Mental Illness Treatment Illegal

While Congress is considering health care legislation that would provide more coverage for individuals with severe mental illness, as far-fetched as it sounds, the FDA is considering making it more difficult to treat depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and psychosis.

At the request of Scientology (and a few others), they are considering requiring expensive new government testing for a treatment that has been successfully used for years: electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). If the ‘testing’ isn’t done, the treatment will be taken off the market. And that is the goal of Scientologists.  As the LA Times pointed out “(The) Church of Scientology… opposes virtually all psychiatric treatments.”

In 1976, the FDA grandfathered continuing use of ECT, and many other devices, pending FDA evaluation of safety and effectiveness. It is now 30 years later and the treatment has been safely and effectively used ever since then.

In spite of 40 years of success, the FDA—prodded by Scientology-- recently decided to hold hearings on the safety and efficacy of this treatment. Depending on the outcome, the manufacturers of the device might have to go through onerous duplicative testing that has already been done in the real world.

The manufacturers say the tests would be too expensive and therefore they would have to get out the business. Doctors could be jailed for offering their patients treatment.

The American Psychiatric Association’s most recent report on ECT concludes

ECT is an effective antidepressant in all subtypes of major depressive disorder

Dr. Demitris Popolis wrote in Overcoming Depression

There's been a resurgence of interest in ECT because it has evolved into a safe option, one that works

ECT has a higher success rate or severe depression than any other form of treatment…

It is particularly useful for people who … cannot take antidepressants due to problems of health or lack of response and pregnant women who suffer from depression or mania. A patient who is very intent on suicide, and who would not wait three weeks for an antidepressant to work, would be a good candidate for ECT because it works more rapidly.

Kitty Dukakis in her book, “Shock” credited ECT with saving her life.

Rolland Kohloff, principal timpanist for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra saw how ECT helped his son with schizophrenia. When Mr. Kohloff developed his own severe depression, he decided to try it himself. As he said in the New York Times, “What I think it did was to act like a Roto-Rooter on the depression."

 Dick Cavett told People Magazine,

“In my case, ECT was miraculous. My wife was dubious, but when she came into my room afterward, I sat up and said, 'Look who's back among the living.' It was like a magic wand."

In spite its obvious efficacy, ECT (and all treatments for the mentally ill) has opponents. Rael Jean Isaacs Madness in the Streets is the best book on the anti-treatment, anti-ECT, often Scientologist crowd.

While there is some opposition to ECT from non-Scientologists, Scientologists believe “The concept that a brain-based, chemical imbalance underlies mental illness is false.” They believe mental illness doesn’t exist and treatment for it is torture.  It is their right to believe whatever they want. But my choice of treatment should not be dictated by it. 

In response to a previous effort by Scientologists to ban ECT, Laurie Flynn, former Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness wrote a 1995 letter to Bernie Arons, Director of the Center For Mental Health Services:

As you know, there are widespread efforts led by Scientologists and other anti-psychiatric groups underway throughout the country to ban ECT as an available treatment and to criminalize the prescription of ECT by physicians treating individuals with severe depressive illnesses. These groups ignore the extensive, uncontroverted evidence in the scientific literature that ECT is both safe and effective as a treatment for severe depression. Consequently, it is critically important that any statement coming from CMHS must focus on medical aspects of ECT and avoid the “politics” of ECT.

The FDA should avoid the politics too.  They should immediately reclassify electroconvulsive devices as “Class II” devices, rather than keeping them in Class III which requires the manufacturers to go through expensive and unnecessary laboratory testing to prove what patients and doctors know: ECT works.

You can submit your comments to the FDA in favor of reclassifying ECT to Class II by clicking the ‘submit’ button at the top right hand side of the page of the FDA public docket.

 

Follow DJ Jaffe on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheRealMrMe

Comments

[joanmacd]

Thank you for the link to regulations.gov, DJ. I have never had ECT myself, but several of my friends in my NAMI support group in the States had had it. One woman with bipolar disorder said it was the only treatment that worked for her. She had had ECT over 40 times with no long term ill effects. She was an intelligent, articulate, professional woman getting on with life in spite of bipolar disorder. Thanks to ECT. If I were ever to have a serious relapse myself, I would not hesitate to have ECT. It beats having to wait months for antipsychotics and antidepressants to do their magic. Unfortunately, some patients manage to commit suicide before the magic kicks in. ECT saves lives.

[DJ Jaffe - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks. Don't forget to go to top right hand corner of this page and submit your comments to FDA
http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#documentDetail?R=0900006480a20202

[zizyphus]

Cannabis is also an effective antidepressant. Given a choice between ECT and a joint, I know which one I would choose.

[joanmacd]

I didnt know that about cannabis. Just for the record, ECT is not uses for a case of the "blues". It is used in patients with a diagnosis of major depression or bipolar depression. Both of these illnesses can cause psychosis. These are serious, life threatening illnesses due to the high rate of suicide among sufferers. While a joint may be great for chillin', I don't think it's the best treatment of choice for sufferers of serious mental illness. ECT on the other hand, saves lives. Now, could you please pass the joint?

[MaxChampion]

Scientology punches above its weight in political circles. Consider this: Who is the treasurer of the National Foundation for Women Legislators? Scientologist and OTVIII, Bruce Wiseman, who just happens also to be the US President of CCHR, Scientology's anti-psychiatry front group. The Citizen's Commission on Human Rights was named in May by APA President Nada Stotland, M.D. as psychiatry's very own "hate group". http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/APA/14276

The NFWL has several other scientologists and sympathisers on its committees. For more info: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?y2mjldzmozd

If women legislators all across the US are listening to scientology, it's no wonder they're getting their agenda before the FDA and congress.

[Whatevah]

FYI, just to add a little more outrage to this issue . . .

I am a member of a group that advocates for the rights of children in religious groups that believe in faith healing and forbid conventional medical care. It's called C.H.I.L.D. For more info, feel free to check out the web site at: www.childrenshealthcare.org

Anyway, you'll be outraged to hear that lobbyists for the Christian Science Church are working hard to insure that the new health care reform bill mandates insurance payments for Christian Science faith healers. At a time when it's hard to get coverage of mainstream psychiatric treatment, it is often easier to get reimbursement for this particular type of voodoo.

Your tax dollars at work.

[Blixa]

Thank you, CHILD, for your work.

[hicontext]

Right on DJ. Recently, I attended a lecture by a long-time psychiatric researcher who fielded questions from people with bipolar illness. In response to one person's situation description the doc suggested that the person consider a right-side, unilateral, short-pulse, high intensity form of ECT.

It sure seems like ECT has a come a long way. What a shame it would be if know-nothing idealogues from a supposed religious institution exercised political sway on FDA under the public's radar. I hope the APA and the scientific community are weighing in.

Modern ECT is not the distorted world of Jack Nicholson's over-the-top portrayal. We are in a real world of double-blind, randomized studies, sensitive to issues of memory loss and other potential side effects. Real peer review involving doctors and scientists is being done.

[DJ Jaffe - Huffpost Blogger]

I debated Norman Siegel many years ago on TV. He was head of NYCLU and more recently a candidate for NYC Public Advocate. When we were discussing mental illness he referred to the scene in One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest as 'proof' for his side of argument. When I told him he should know better than to rely on Hollywood movies for his research, he ignored the point.
Thanks. Don't forget to go to top right hand corner of this page and submit your comments to FDA
http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#documentDetail?R=0900006480a20202

[Whatevah]

My mother and brother received dramatic help from ECT treatments. It is safe, effective, and has fewer side effects than drugs.

In my experience, a lot of ordinary people have a knee-jerk opposition to ECT because of the 'ick' factor. It just sounds unnatural. Of course, surgery, drugs, eyeglasses, crutches, etc. are all equally unnatural. The reality is that it does tremendous good with virtually no long-term problems. There is short term memory loss, but that fades almost immediately.

[DJ Jaffe - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks. Don't forget to go to top right hand corner of this page and submit your comments to FDA
http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#documentDetail?R=0900006480a20202

[janeycat]

btw.... i don't think i want shock treatments at any time...see­ms barbaric to me

[Willow-the-Witch]

You might be surprised by how non-barbaric it actually is. Patients are sedated and, I am assured by a psychiatrist friend that you would not even notice it unless you knew when the shock was delivered. It's not the crazy seizures of The Cuckoo's Nest.

[janeycat]

if they want to be a church then they should no say in government matters especially medical matters.

[Blixa]

+ 1