GETTY Figures show there were 59 episodes of ECT in 2016 where the patient was physically restricting

The latest NHS figures show there were 59 episodes of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in 2016 where the patient was physically resisting or objecting. This represents 14 per cent of the national total, more than double the six per cent recorded in 2008. Patients can be forcibly held down and anaesthetised for the controversial procedure, which can cause a range of serious side effects. There were a further 34 ECT episodes where the patient did not give consent but was not resisting or objecting, plus 42 emergency episodes.

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This is an aggressive form of treatment Annie Wells

In total, only 67 per cent of treatments in Scotland last year - 273 out of 408 - were administered with the written consent of the patient, down from 77 per cent in 2008. Over that time there have been 444 ECT episodes administered without consent where the patient was resisting and 460 where the patient was not resisting. Scottish Conservative mental health spokeswoman Annie Wells said: "This is an aggressive form of treatment which should only ever be used as a last resort.

"The scale of its use, particularly in those who resist, does seem large. "But we have to trust that doctors are only resorting to this when they're sure there is no other solution." Medics say that patients who are unable to give consent are generally more severely depressed and show a greater improvement after treatment. The annual report by the Scottish ECT Accreditation Network (SEAN) states: "This demonstrates the importance of making ECT available to patients who are too unwell to be able to give fully informed consent."