A doctor who underwent 21 sessions of a controversial ‘electric shock’ therapy to combat her depression claims the treatment has left her brain damaged and unemployable.
Dr Susan Cunliffe, 48, had 21 sessions of the electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) at Worcestershire Royal Hospital between 2004 and 2005 to combat depression following the break-up of her marriage.
But she claims the ECT treatment, which sees patients have an electric current sent through their brain to trigger an epileptic fit, has left her permanently damaged.
The mother-of-three says her speech and mobility have been reduced and she has been left unable to do her job.
She is now demanding an independent scientific study is carried out to examine the effects of ECT.
Dr Cunliffe said: ‘By the time I finished ECT I was left with memory problems, an inability to recognise faces or to navigate.
‘Towards the end my hands shook, I couldn’t walk in a straight line and I fell over repeatedly.
‘I couldn’t walk through doors without bumping into door frames.
‘My speech was slurred and I had word finding problems.’
The article goes on to say ECT is extremely effective. It doesn’t say effective at what. I will though. At destroying creativity and functionality.