The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) haver announced plans to reintroduce electroshock therapy as a viable psychiatric treatment, making it easier for doctors to prescribe its use on patients suffering from conditions such as depression and anxiety. The FDA downgraded Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) devices from Class III to Class II – meaning their use are now much less regulated. This follows the passing of the 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 6) which “relaxes scientific standards, virtually guaranteeing insufficiently tested drugs will hit the market only to be recalled after the damage is done“. At the same time U.S. authorities are also pushing for mandatory mental health screening for all American teenagers, meaning American teens may well be subjected to routine electroshock therapy in the near future. Naturalnews.com> reports: In a January article, CCHRI, in commenting on the proposed rule change by the FDA, said that officials there sought to make the change “despite the federal agency’s admission that the ECT device has not been proven safe and effective.” To date, the organization says that 5 million people have been treated with ECT devices, but none of the manufacturers have ever had to submit clinical trial evidence of their effectiveness or attest to their safety. According [...]