After reading the post Ashley mad on "the Kehoe Case: Iowa Mother Guilty of Murdering her 2 Year old" it got me thinking. In the article it talked about how Michelle Kehoe had undergone 44 electric shock therapies (ECT). I'm sure if you have taken any Abnormal Psychology courses you have heard something about an ECT. ECT are usually associated with Major Depressive disorder. Some people think that it is against humanity to use this type of procedure on people and other see it as a great therapy. I do have my own opinions about whether or not it should be used but I would like for everyone else to see material about it and make their own judgment on whether or not is should be a form to treat people with depression and mood disorders.
I found a website that someone who has had ECT personally has put up. This website give background information on the early years of the therapy. It also gives the risk factors that are associated with the ECT. Though this website is a little out of date I believe that the information is helpful and fairly accurate.
Here is the link to the website to look at the information http://www.electroboy.com/electroshocktherapy.htm
Now to relate it back to psychology and law; can the ECT cause enough brain damage or sudden loss of memory to make a person commit a crime that they normally wouldn't have done? Is it possible that the effects are great enough to alter someone's mind to where they are unable to know right from wrong? I think these are some questions that may need to be researched to see if this could become a key factor in some trials.
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