Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)

I welcome that the Minister of State is withdrawing the section and her words of caution around it. From my experience in working in mental health services, it is unheard of in recent times for ECT to be administered to young people. I received a reply to a parliamentary question in the past week which outlined its use in the past five years in Ireland. The youngest person who was administered ECT was 21. As far as I am aware and pretty much all my colleagues in mental health are aware, there is no clinical indication for ECT. My worry is that if we included it in the legislation, it would give a sense of legitimacy of that as a treatment option. The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence does not recommend ECT for under-18s. It is important to say that while it is used in adult services, it is also very contentious in adult services. In some parts of the country it is unheard of. A joint document from the WHO and the UN recently concluded that ECT is “not recommended for children, and this should be prohibited through legislation”. It is important to bear in mind that young people’s brains are at a sensitive stage of development and we do not know the potential adverse impact of ECT on a developing brain. Therefore it is very welcome that we are withdrawing the section.

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