Defend Patient Protections – Oppose HB 6837, Connecticut

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A new ECT bill in Connecticut will remove patient protections.

Keep The Promise Coalition, a grassroots social justice group in Connecticut, and organazation led by people with lived experience of psychiatric oppression, advocating for a fair, rights-based mental health system free from force and coercion, is looking for support in opposing the bill.

They are asking people to sign up and give spoken testimony (in person or via Zoom) against HB 6837 before the Sunday, February 2nd, 3:00 PM deadline and to attend the public hearing on Monday, February 3rd at 11:30 AM to help oppose the bill.

What is the Bill About

HB 6837 is a proposed bill that aims to extend the time period for which electroshock therapy (ECT) can be authorized for patients.

Current Law:

  • Voluntary patients must renew their consent for ECT every 30 days.
  • For involuntary patients, a Probate Court can order ECT for up to 45 days if they are deemed incapable of giving informed consent and there are no less intrusive treatments available.

Proposed Changes (HB 6837):

  • Extend the authorization period to 90 days for both voluntary and involuntary ECT.

Concerns:

  • Electroshock therapy can cause memory loss and confusion, with some cases leading to permanent brain damage.
  • The existing time limits ensure that voluntary patients can reconsider their consent and that involuntary patients receive regular court reviews.
  • Extending these periods could lead to multiple rounds of ECT without proper consent or oversight, reducing important patient protections.

Overall, the bill is controversial because it could reduce safeguards designed to protect the rights and well-being of those undergoing electroshock therapy.

See previous details and hearings from a similar bill,  SB898 ECT, February 1st, 2023, that failed to pass.

Full Details

The Public Health Committee will hold a public hearing on Monday, February 3rd on HB 6837, AN ACT EXTENDING THE AUTHORIZATION OF SHOCK THERAPY BY A PATIENT’S WRITTEN CONSENT OR PROBATE COURT ORDER.

HB 6837 would extend the time period for authorization for shock therapy to 90 days, both for voluntary consent and involuntary orders of the Probate Court.

Where: Room 2D of the Legislative Office Building and via Zoom

When: Monday, February 3rd at 11:30am

To sign up for spoken testimony (both in person and over Zoom), please use the online registration form, here, or by using the button below. You must register to give spoken testimony by Sunday 1/2 at 3:00pm. The speaker list will be posted here at 6:00pm that evening. The speaker list can be found by clicking on the date of the hearing.

To submit written testimony, please use the online testimony submission form, here.

To see Connecticut Legal Rights Project’s talking points on the bill, click here.

Anna

Anna is a childhood psychiatric drug and a teenage electroshock survivor. She founded Life After ECT to ensure people injured by electroconvulsive therapy have easy access to resources that can help them understand their injuries and find a path to recovery.