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Tuesday, May 19, 2020

May 19, 2020: "Shock and Awful"


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This week, YOUR META's having its first guest since Dat 'Rona upset the status quo 5-ever! Health and mental health advocate, Deborah Schwartzkopff, enlightens us with her professional medical opinion and her experience--and that of so many others--undergoing Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT), formerly known as Electro-Shock Therapy! Not only a recipient of this treatment, Deborah is also a former nurse and an activist for the abolition of ECT as a medical treatment and practice.




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THE INTERVIEW



DEBORAH SCHWARTZKOPFF



Former Nurse | Health and Mental Health Advocate | ECT Abolition Activist


Deborah Schwartzkopff – The impact of ECT on my life It is difficult to describe fully in words what I live with daily after having electroshock. I had to relearn and reteach myself many things. I live day to day, often in the moment, as I cannot recall very much of my past. I do not carry my history any longer. For the most part, what I know of my history has been parroted back to me by friends and family. Click to read Deborah's story and others:
 
  • http://ectjustice.com/impact-electroshock-life/
  • https://ectjustice.com/ect-survivor-stories/
  • http://ectjustice.com/ 
 




Multimedia


  1. "Electroshock." Ectjustice ds, Youtube. [17:05] Electroshock. January 22, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6jxhMEbFIA





A NOTE 
and
RECOMMENDED READING and VIEWING from DEBORAH



This may be offered to many suffering mental health issues around Covid 19 so please expose. I am a retired level one trauma nurse of many years. What I am telling you is true.  If you are interested in writing a piece or having a show on this issue it would be greatly appreciated. I have peers willing to share their experience and professionals willing to address. This harm has to come to light please. Public radio in Portland, OR, KBOO has done shows on this issue, but the public at large does not even know this is still taking place, nor the frequency of it.There are hospitals in your area doing this procedure.

I ask you as journalists to expose this harm that has been taking place for decades at our great expense in your duty to your readers or listeners.  If you cannot expose personally for whatever reasons please go on social and discuss this taking place to protect others. If you are unable to address I ask that you please try to get into hands of someone who can. The public is at risk for this greatly increased practice and deserve the truth to make informed decisions. Physicians are failing in their duty, I ask that you not fail in yours. Physicians and researchers if you are receiving this I am happy to share the information from the survey with personal information removed to protect privacy. 

We have suits pending against the FDA on this issue, a national product liability suit is currently taking place that have shown brain injuries resulting from this, and we have a few firms beginning to interview around medical malpractice. We need many more please. The issue is ECT or electroshock and its use has greatly increased in the last decade. Billions involved annually in US alone, but this is a global human rights issue. I have hundreds on survey describing damages they live with following giving their consent.

Used for many conditions now and at leading facilities. Providers well aware based on their training and documented in literature of brain injuries that result from this electrical mechanism. Medical malpractice is possible as their own research demonstrates actual structural brain changes from this that actually impact brain stem centers where vital functions are located. We as patients are told of temporary memory loss and typical anesthesia risks. We are not warned that each and every procedure based on trauma medicine of electrical trauma induces a TBI. Your material risk of brain injuries are missing from consent. Medical malpractice possible around fallible consent. You can pull typical  consents up on the internet to view. Your one consistent and common outcome for baseline is TBI. 

These are NFL type head injuries, just a different mechanism and we receive them into the sometimes the double and triple digits. 

This is trauma. If this happened in a home or work setting verses at the hands of culpable providers, all trauma personnel receiving would anticipate TBI at best. They would anticipate multi-system involvement such as cardiac and respiratory. We are talking up to 450 volts and greater. A layman giving thought would know of harm. All trauma is based on MECHANISM. You have a known mechanism i.e. electrical and you then have a KNOWN and ANTICIPATED outcome in ALL populations, to include the psychiatric population. This cannot be refuted. I have hundreds on extensive survey describing the damages they live with following this procedure.

This procedure is also being used on professionals and those in the entertainment industry. Many are unable to resume their talents or professions as a direct result of damages from this. Medicine tries to tie these outcomes to psychiatric cause, but it is trauma in these outcomes. 

Electrical trauma impacts all bodily systems. These damages can extend years out to include CTE, ALS, ongoing cardiac and respiratory issues.  We are denied assistance for most part even now in addressing our damages secondary to providers being afraid of inducing suits for their peers or facilities.

Patients are showing damages on neuro/cognitive testing, MRI, SPECT, and EEG. A noted TBI specialist has recently attributed -rain injuries to a patients cerebellum, frontal lobes, and brain stem directly to ECT in records. We need and deserve rehabilitation.

They state ECT "works" in that brain injury creates temporary euphoria and memory loss for difficulties that led to admission. They cannot suddenly just stop this practice without admitting harm. This is purely low voltage electrical trauma. Their submission to DSM5 around electrical injury lists our damages. Everyone knows what is going on, but in to deep to know how to resolve.

This is also fraud at best. Medicare and other insurers paying out on something not even tested for safety or effectiveness by the FDA. Billions paid out annually around this in the US alone. No one speaks against this as current products, future products, jobs, and reputations at stake. Better to sacrifice a patient discounted based on their histories and placement in society. Many would like to see criminal charges levied.

There is a test called the VNG that is used to identify concussions and other brain injuries. It is the in office test similar to the on field test the NFL players now get called the I-PASS. Below are damages recorded in notes by TBI specialist to outcomes of electroshock. Perhaps this test  may be used to identify TBI in ECT patients, as it is used for TBI in the NFL. These below findings around ECT are resulting from VNG testing. Patients are also showing changes on MRI, EEG, neuro/cog testing, and SPECT.
 

3.    Mild L ptosis

4.    R hypertropia worse in L lateral gaze

5.    L exophoria

6.    L upper and R lower facial paresis

7.    L roll had tilt

8.    Olfactory recognition impaired bilateral

9.    VA ration horizontal square wave jerks R:2:1 L: down-beat nystagmus 2:1

10.  Saccade testing reveals latencies increased all planes except U/L

11.  Marked cervical substitutions with pursuits in all planes with intrusive saccades worsening in L prusuites

12.  Pursuits downward reveal intorsional glissades

13.  Gait testing reveals mild decrease inR arm swing: with dual tasking, gait becomes slightly wide-based and arm swing slightly decreases.

14.  Finger-nose past pointing R>L

15.  Somatic pinwheel perception diminished L L5

16.  Vestibular head impulse testing: Moderately decreased in LARP plane

17.  Saccadometry: Prosaccade 20 degree : intrusive saccades to the R

18.  Anti saccade 10 degree: 79 percent directional error rate

19.  Nystagmus: High frequency right beat and down beat nystagmus

20.  Central gaze: Head movement, L pstosis and nystagmnus

21.  Horizontal gaze L 24 degree Notable pitch plane head movement

22.  Horizontal gaze R 24 degree: Increased fatigue, decreased stability

23.  Upward gaze 14 degree: Notable pitch plane head movement

24.  Downward gaze 14 degree: Notable pitch polane head movement.

25.  Horizontal optokinetics 25 dps: L optokinetics provoked dysconjugate gaze. Reflex failed with R otokinetics

26.  Horizontal optokinetics with volitional targeting: Worsens

27.  Vertical pursuits 10 degrees: Intrusive saccades with downward pursuits

28.  Random vertical saccades: Upward intrusive saccades, cannot maintain downward gaze

29.  Vertical optokinetics 25 dps: Reflex failed.

30.  Vertical optokinetics with volitional targeting: Worsens

31.  Repeated random horizontal saccades; Latencies increased significantly bilaterally

 

This is discrimination as the FDA in over 80 years has failed to test a device or procedure involving a protected population under the ADA. Then they declassify it from experimental to class two, that of eye glasses so more insurers can pay on it. This is all done with an active suit in place around devices showing brain injuries and still no testing of device or procedure before doing so. The FDA has repeatedly failed to address this testing when required for one reason or another. They do not test as they know TBI would result at minimum. This is discrimination and we would like a class action here please. I could find no other device or procedure so treated. This is a protected population under the ADA.

They promoted this for years as "life saving" to get away with this. Likewise the cardiac defibrillator, but that is still standing with a class of 3 in FDA standing. It also has behind it FDA testing for safety and effectiveness. There is a two time increase in suicide following ECT secondary to brain injury and those denied help and basic recognition of damages out of fear of suits.


  1. This link shows that psychiatry in the latest DSM5 submission was considering adding this diagnosis of post electrical injury and then decided against it as they would be implicating themselves around their use of electroshock. https://europepmc.org/article/med/29089977
  2. Below are standards written by a peer with degree in rehabilitation studies. It is a petition being viewed by many around ECT.     The petition "Standardize, Regulate & Audit Shock Treatments (Electroconvulsive therapy or ECT)" now has 3,528 signatures. http://chng.it/XkGQnrBj






ABOUT ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY




Info about ElectroConvulsive Therapy (ECT) consists of passing an electric current at high voltage through the brain with the intention of producing an epileptic convulsion purportedly to relieve ‘mental illness’ and Parkinson’s disease. Resulting convulsions are strong enough to break bones. 70% of these treatments are done to women and in the state of Oregon to children as young as twelve years of age. ECT can result in permanent extensive long term memory loss, short term memory loss, cognitive loss, and loss of talents. In psychiatry it is known as the “taming effect”. These “side-effects” are not secondary to anesthesia, but to brain injury. It is a billion dollar a year industry to participating facilities in insurance reimbursements and research grants. Electroshock is performed in teaching hospitals, some private facilities, and at Kaiser Permanente. It is no longer used as a last resort, but is instead a treatment of convenience and is cost effective. The FDA has never required pre-market approval to affirmatively demonstrate a reasonable assurance of safety or effectiveness. Patients are not fully informed about the procedure’s harmful after-effects. Many ECT survivors feel it is abusive in nature and often report feeling violated. In retrospect many often state the results of ECT has only added to their initial problems. Abolish ECT! https://ectjustice.com/info-about-ect/


Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), formerly known as electroshock therapy, is a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in patients to provide relief from mental disorders. Typically, 70 to 120 volts are applied externally to the patient's head resulting in approximately 800 milliamperes of direct current passed through the brain, for 100 milliseconds to 6 seconds duration, either from temple to temple (bilateral ECT) or from front to back of one side of the head (unilateral ECT). The ECT procedure was first conducted in 1938 by Italian psychiatrist Ugo Cerletti and rapidly replaced less safe and effective forms of biological treatments in use at the time. ECT is often used with informed consent as a safe and effective intervention for major depressive disorder, mania, and catatonia. ECT machines were originally placed in the Class III category by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1976. They were re-classified as Class II devices, for treatment of catatonia, major depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder, in 2018. A course of ECT is effective for about 50% of people with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder, whether it is unipolar or bipolar. Follow-up treatment is still poorly studied, but about half of people who respond relapse within 12 months. Aside from effects in the brain, the general physical risks of ECT are similar to those of brief general anesthesia. 259 Immediately following treatment, the most common adverse effects are confusion and transient memory loss. Among treatments for severely depressed pregnant women, ECT is one of the least harmful to the gestating fetus. A usual course of ECT involves multiple administrations, typically given two or three times per week until the patient is no longer suffering symptoms. ECT is administered under anesthesia with a muscle relaxant. ECT can differ in its application in three ways: electrode placement, treatment frequency, and the electrical waveform of the stimulus. These treatment parameters can pose significant differences in both adverse side effects and symptom remission in the treated patient. Placement can be bilateral, where the electric current is passed from one side of the brain to the other, or unilateral, in which the current is solely passed across one hemisphere of the brain. Bilateral electrode placement seems to have greater effectiveness than unilateral electrode placement, but also carries a higher risk of memory loss. After treatment, drug therapy is usually continued and some patients will continue to receive maintenance ECT treatments. ECT appears to work in the short term via an anticonvulsant effect primarily in the frontal lobes and longer term via neurotrophic effects primarily in the medial temporal lobe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroconvulsive_therapy






Articles, Bibliographies, Resources & Websites




  1. "Doctors of Deception: What They Don't Want You to Know about Shock Treatment." Linda Andre. Mechanisms and standards exist to safeguard the health and welfare of the patient, but for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)—used to treat depression and other mental illnesses—such approval methods have failed. Prescribed to thousands over the years, public relations as opposed to medical trials have paved the way for this popular yet dangerous and controversial treatment option. Doctors of Deception is a revealing history of ECT (or shock therapy) in the United States, told here for the first time. Through the examination of court records, medical data, FDA reports, industry claims, her own experience as a patient of shock therapy, and the stories of others, Andre exposes tactics used by the industry to promote ECT as a responsible treatment when all the scientific evidence suggested otherwise. As early as the 1940s, scientific literature began reporting incidences of human and animal brain damage resulting from ECT. Despite practitioner modifications, deleterious effects on memory and cognition persisted. Rather than discontinue use of ECT, the $5-billion-per-year shock industry crafted a public relations campaign to improve ECT’s image. During the 1970s and 1980s, psychiatry’s PR efforts misled the government, the public, and the media into believing that ECT had made a comeback and was safe. Andre carefully intertwines stories of ECT survivors and activists with legal, ethical, and scientific arguments to address issues of patient rights and psychiatric treatment. Echoing current debates about the use of psychopharmaceutical interventions shown to have debilitating side-effects, she candidly presents ECT as a problematic therapy demanding greater scrutiny, tighter control, and full disclosure about its long-term cognitive effects. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VNCF0I/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

  • File Size: 3219 KB
  • Print Length: 376 pages
  • Publisher: Rutgers University Press; None ed. edition (February 4, 2009)
  • Publication Date: February 4, 2009
  • Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B001VNCF0I
  • Customer views on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Doctors-Deception-about-Shock-Treatment-ebook/product-reviews/B001VNCF0I/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews






Multimedia

  1. "Electroshock (ECT): True Story Kenny." Dr. Linda Lagemann, Youtube. [6:00] Personal story of Kenny's experience with electroshock. At age 21, he had 30 rounds of shock. (He's 28 in this video.) Most people would be surprised to find out how easy it is to end up on the path that leads down to electroshock. January 4, 2018. https://youtu.be/dp5ODRCyDCM
  2. "Nancy Rubenstein on the May 16, 2015 International Protest of Electroshock." Jim Gottstein, Youtube.  [9:55] On May 16, 2015, there will be protests of electroshock around the world, with well over 20 sites already.  E-mail StopShock@networkagainstpsychiatricassault.org to add your protest.  For more information go to https://www.facebook.com/events/15752...  Opening graphic from the cover of Leonard Roy Frank's book "History of Shock."   We miss you, Leonard. April 11, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGP-LznwR7A
  3. "Electroshock is Brain Trauma - Dr. Breggin's Simple Truth 10." Peter Breggin MD, Youtube. [11:37] Simple Truth Series @ https://breggin.com/video-series/ ... Electroshock convulsive therapy (ECT), better known as shock treatment, "works" by passing an electric current through one or both frontal lobes of the brain, causing an electrical lobotomy.  The electricity also passes through the memory centers of the temporal lobe, causing additional devastation.   Finally, the current scatters throughout the brain and that, along with a very severe seizure, produces more widespread harm.   For addition free information see http://www.ECTresources.org or read Dr. Breggin's medical book, Brain-Disabling Treatments in Psychiatry:  Drugs, Electroshock and the Role of the FDA, Second Edition (2008). https://www.youtube.com/redirect?v=QOtacCftvcs&redir_token=8ng856rdJrMdRR_go6Bi2jIBoyR8MTU4OTk5MTMxNEAxNTg5OTA0OTE0&event=video_description&q=https%3A%2F%2Fbreggin.com%2Fbrain-disabling-treatments-in-psychiatry%2F. April 8, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOtacCftvcs











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FreedomWalker's Sources, Citations, Credits, and Links



INTERVIEW: DEBORAH SCHWARTZKOPFF


  • Excerpts from the book. "The Secret Life of Plants" by Peter Tompkins & Christopher Bird; Chapter 9: Wizard of Tuskegee,  pg 136-42, Carver George Washington.











beetle's Sources, Citations, Credits, and Links




~ The More Things Change. . . . ~


Multimedia

  1. "Mary Mallon Spreads Typhoid Across New York City - Drunk History." Comedy Central, Youtube. March 17, 2020. [8:34] Mary Mallon spread typhoid wherever she went, and all because she wouldn’t wash her hands.  About Drunk History:  Based on the popular web series, Drunk History is the liquored-up narration of our nation’s history. Host Derek Waters, along with an ever-changing cast of actors and comedians, travels across the country to present the rich tales that every city in this land has to offer. Booze helps bring out the truth. It's just that sometimes the truth is a little incoherent. https://youtu.be/12wh0lfHb2U
Articles, Bibliographies, Resources & Websites


Mary Mallon (September 23, 1869 – November 11, 1938), also known as Typhoid Mary, was an Irish-born cook believed to have infected 51 people, three of whom died, with typhoid fever, and the first person in the United States identified as an asymptomatic carrier of the disease. Because she persisted in working as a cook, by which she exposed others to the disease, she was twice forcibly quarantined by authorities, and died after a total of nearly three decades in isolation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Mallon


  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asymptomatic_carrier
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Mallon
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_health
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preventive_healthcare
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_health
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarantine
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid_fever

~ Deadpool Sez WHUUUUUUUUT??? ~
  1. "Ryan Reynolds, Seth Rogen, & Jay Baruchel on Celeb Responses to COVID-19 | Now This." NowThis News. April 7, 2020. Youtube. [3:31] Leave it to the Canadian celebs to get a coronavirus PSA right.  » Subscribe to NowThis: http://go.nowth.is/News_Subscribe » Sign up for our newsletter KnowThis to get the biggest stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox: https://go.nowth.is/KnowThis  In US news and current events today, Ryan Reynolds and other Canadian celebrities are poking fun at celebs for making COVID-19 all about themselves. Reynolds, Rogen, and Barachel’s  matter-of-fact messages come on the heels of many celebrities catching heat for posting arguably tone deaf videos of their lives in self-isolation without noting the impacts the pandemic has had on average citizens. Gal Gadot and other celebrities put together a video singing from self-isolation that quickly went viral. Many people on social media criticized the video as being out of touch with the severity of the pandemic. Instead calling on celebrities to use their wealth to help those suffering. But Reynolds’ messaging is a celeb PSA we can all get behind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4hCwJkhk-U
  2. "Ryan Reynolds, Michael Bublé And More Canadian Celebs Plank The Curve." ET Canada, Youtube. March 24, 2020. [2:10] After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kicked off the #PlanktheCurve social media challenge, our favourite Canadian celebrities are encouraging us to stop the spread of COVID-19 by staying home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgs4jo_WVDk
  3. "Ryan Reynolds Raising Money For COVID-19 Relief With 'Boring As F***' T-Shirts." ET Canada, Youtube. April 17, 2020. [1:22] Ryan Reynolds wants to "bring back boring" with some simple "Conquer COVID-19" black and white t-shirts to help support Canada's healthcare industry during the coronavirus pandemic. ET Canada has all the details on the campaign. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etUMIitcC5I









~ Dr.--WHO??? ~




  1. "Dr. Anthony Fauci Cold Open - SNL." Saturday Night Live, Youtube. April 25, 2020. [3:12] Dr. Anthony Fauci (Brad Pitt) addresses the public to decipher the coronavirus misinformation President Trump has been spreading. https://youtu.be/uW56CL0pk0g
  2. "Watch Brad Pitt Portray Dr. Anthony Fauci on ‘SNL’ | NowThis." NowThis News, Youtube. April 26, 2020. [3:01] Watch Brad Pitt transform into Dr. Anthony Fauci for the second remote segment of ‘SNL.’ In US news and current events today, Brad Pitt played Dr. Fauci on the latest episode of ‘SNL.’ Fauci had joked about being played by Pitt in an April 10 interview with CNN's Alisyn Camerota. SNL delivered during its 2nd episode of pre-taped remote segments. Recently, Pres. Trump retweeted the hashtag #FireFauci after Fauci admitted lives could have been saved if Trump acted earlier on COVID-19. Fauci also has repeatedly warned that the U.S. is not doing enough testing. But Trump has remained firm that the U.S. is doing a ‘great job.’ Pitt ended the sketch with a heartfelt message to Fauci and frontline health care workers. https://youtu.be/oiWA4s-4i-A





# # #




Sources for "INTERVIEW: DEBORAH SCHWARTZKOPFF"
Articles, Bibliographies, Resources & Websites


  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroconvulsive_therapy






Music Playlists





FreedomWalker's Playlist:

  1. No Doubt: "Running"
  2. Peter Gabriel: "Shock The Monkey " 




LYRICS



  • Geniuslyrics.com










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