Professor John Read
@profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of East London
(views are my own)
Chair, International Institute for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal
www.iipdw.org
Author, with Pete Sanders, “A Straight Talking Introduction to the Causes of Mental Health Problems”
(views are my own)
Chair, International Institute for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal
www.iipdw.org
Author, with Pete Sanders, “A Straight Talking Introduction to the Causes of Mental Health Problems”
Pinned
Psychosis Society Celebrates 70th Anniversary
The International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychiatry just celebrated its 70th birthday in Lausanne, where it was born in 1956.
www.psychologytoday.com
Psychosis Society Celebrates 70th Anniversary | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
To the Few Psychiatrists Who Still Believe in ECT: See You in Court - Mad In America www.madinamerica.com/2026/08/to-t...
To the Few Psychiatrists Who Still Believe in ECT: See You in Court
I hope that legal cases like these will encourage psychiatrists to think twice before administering such a potentially damaging treatment.
www.madinamerica.com
August 30, 2026 at 8:22 AM
To the Few Psychiatrists Who Still Believe in ECT: See You in Court - Mad In America www.madinamerica.com/2026/08/to-t...
My interview with Peter and Ginger Breggin
The brutal truth that psychiatry still refuses to face
open.substack.com/pub/gingerbr...
The brutal truth that psychiatry still refuses to face
open.substack.com/pub/gingerbr...
The brutal truth that psychiatry still refuses to face
The long struggle...
open.substack.com
July 24, 2026 at 9:03 AM
My interview with Peter and Ginger Breggin
The brutal truth that psychiatry still refuses to face
open.substack.com/pub/gingerbr...
The brutal truth that psychiatry still refuses to face
open.substack.com/pub/gingerbr...
Reposted by Professor John Read
The Gendered Experience of ECT: Insights From a Global Survey | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
The Gendered Experience of ECT: Insights From a Global Survey
Women are twice as likely as men to be given electroconvulsive therapy. Our international survey shows they are less likely to benefit and more likely to suffer memory loss.
www.psychologytoday.com
June 21, 2026 at 6:35 PM
The Gendered Experience of ECT: Insights From a Global Survey | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
Psychosis Society Celebrates 70th Anniversary | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
Psychosis Society Celebrates 70th Anniversary
The International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychiatry just celebrated its 70th birthday in Lausanne, where it was born in 1956.
www.psychologytoday.com
July 24, 2026 at 8:52 AM
Psychosis Society Celebrates 70th Anniversary | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
The Gendered Experience of ECT: Insights From a Global Survey | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
The Gendered Experience of ECT: Insights From a Global Survey
Women are twice as likely as men to be given electroconvulsive therapy. Our international survey shows they are less likely to benefit and more likely to suffer memory loss.
www.psychologytoday.com
June 21, 2026 at 6:35 PM
The Gendered Experience of ECT: Insights From a Global Survey | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
“It Was Like They Crushed a Beautiful Flower”: Families Speak Out on the Harms of ECT - Mad In America www.madinamerica.com/2026/04/it-w...
“It Was Like They Crushed a Beautiful Flower”: Families Speak Out on the Harms of ECT
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a controversial practice, with recent research finding harm, as well as a lack of efficacy and informed consent. A new A new international study finds most relatives...
www.madinamerica.com
April 30, 2026 at 2:59 PM
“It Was Like They Crushed a Beautiful Flower”: Families Speak Out on the Harms of ECT - Mad In America www.madinamerica.com/2026/04/it-w...
April 28, 2026 at 4:58 AM
Reposted by Professor John Read
Remembering a Quarter of a Million "Mental Patients" Murdered in the 1930s and 1940s | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
Remembering a Quarter of a Million "Mental Patients" Murdered in the 1930s and 1940s
During World War II, an unsubstantiated genetic theory justified the killing of thousands of mental patients. What lessons should be learned from this for the treatment of mental health today?
www.psychologytoday.com
April 8, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Remembering a Quarter of a Million "Mental Patients" Murdered in the 1930s and 1940s | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
Open Questions About Electroconvulsive Therapy Reveal Fuller Picture | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
Open Questions About Electroconvulsive Therapy Reveal Fuller Picture
When asked open questions about the effects of electroconvulsive therapy, 51% reported negative effects only, 3% reported positive outcomes only, and 46% reported a mixture.
www.psychologytoday.com
April 6, 2026 at 7:32 AM
Open Questions About Electroconvulsive Therapy Reveal Fuller Picture | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
How open questions reveal the full extent of damage done by electroconvulsive therapy | EurekAlert! www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
How open questions reveal the full extent of damage done by electroconvulsive therapy
An international study, the first of its kind to use an online survey to capture the long-term effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) on patients, has revealed that while some patients experience ...
www.eurekalert.org
February 8, 2026 at 7:47 AM
How open questions reveal the full extent of damage done by electroconvulsive therapy | EurekAlert! www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
Open Questions About Electroconvulsive Therapy Reveal Fuller Picture | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
Open Questions About Electroconvulsive Therapy Reveal Fuller Picture
When asked open questions about the effects of electroconvulsive therapy, 51% reported negative effects only, 3% reported positive outcomes only, and 46% reported a mixture.
www.psychologytoday.com
February 2, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Open Questions About Electroconvulsive Therapy Reveal Fuller Picture | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
Survey Finds Most ECT Patients Suffer Long-term Memory Loss | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
Survey Finds Most ECT Patients Suffer Long-term Memory Loss
In our international survey, 71 percent of ECT patients reported reduced ability to retain new information, and 80 percent reported loss of autobiographical memories of events before ECT.
www.psychologytoday.com
January 30, 2026 at 5:09 AM
Survey Finds Most ECT Patients Suffer Long-term Memory Loss | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
Is It Time to Ban Electroconvulsive Therapy for Children? | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
Is It Time to Ban Electroconvulsive Therapy for Children?
Opinion: The case for ECT to be made illegal for children and adolescents.
www.psychologytoday.com
January 25, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Is It Time to Ban Electroconvulsive Therapy for Children? | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
New Global Study Finds ECT Linked to Wide Range of Harms | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
New Global Study Finds ECT Linked to Wide Range of Harms
It is well established that the most common adverse effect of electroconvulsive therapy is memory loss. Our latest paper reports on 25 other adverse effects in multiple domains.
www.psychologytoday.com
January 24, 2026 at 6:03 AM
New Global Study Finds ECT Linked to Wide Range of Harms | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
New Global Study Finds ECT Linked to Wide Range of Harms | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
New Global Study Finds ECT Linked to Wide Range of Harms
It is well established that the most common adverse effect of electroconvulsive therapy is memory loss. Our latest paper reports on 25 other adverse effects in multiple domains.
www.psychologytoday.com
January 24, 2026 at 6:00 AM
New Global Study Finds ECT Linked to Wide Range of Harms | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
Survey Finds Most ECT Patients Suffer Long-term Memory Loss | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
Survey Finds Most ECT Patients Suffer Long-term Memory Loss
In our international survey, 71 percent of ECT patients reported reduced ability to retain new information, and 80 percent reported loss of autobiographical memories of events before ECT.
www.psychologytoday.com
January 23, 2026 at 5:13 AM
Survey Finds Most ECT Patients Suffer Long-term Memory Loss | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
The Gendered Experience of ECT: Insights From a Global Survey | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
The Gendered Experience of ECT: Insights From a Global Survey
Women are twice as likely as men to be given electroconvulsive therapy. Our international survey shows they are less likely to benefit and more likely to suffer memory loss.
www.psychologytoday.com
January 19, 2026 at 6:03 AM
The Gendered Experience of ECT: Insights From a Global Survey | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
The Gendered Experience of ECT: Insights From a Global Survey | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
The Gendered Experience of ECT: Insights From a Global Survey
Women are twice as likely as men to be given electroconvulsive therapy. Our international survey shows they are less likely to benefit and more likely to suffer memory loss.
www.psychologytoday.com
January 16, 2026 at 6:29 AM
The Gendered Experience of ECT: Insights From a Global Survey | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
Childhood%20Trauma%20and%20Recent%20Stressors%20Rarely%20Addressed%3B%20ECT%20Given%20Instead%20-%20Mad%20In%20America%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.madinamerica.com%2F2025%2F12%2Fchildhood-trauma-and-recent-stressors-rarely-addressed-ect-given-instead%2F
December 22, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Childhood%20Trauma%20and%20Recent%20Stressors%20Rarely%20Addressed%3B%20ECT%20Given%20Instead%20-%20Mad%20In%20America%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.madinamerica.com%2F2025%2F12%2Fchildhood-trauma-and-recent-stressors-rarely-addressed-ect-given-instead%2F
Reposted by Professor John Read
Re-floating my big feature on ECT ... A year old now but no less relevant. www.thebeliever.net/a-brilliant-... via @thebeliever.net
December 2, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Re-floating my big feature on ECT ... A year old now but no less relevant. www.thebeliever.net/a-brilliant-... via @thebeliever.net
ECT Patients Not Asked About Causes of Their Problems | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
ECT Patients Not Asked About Causes of Their Problems
An international survey of 1144 electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) patients and relatives has found that the causes of the patients' problems are ignored.
www.psychologytoday.com
December 13, 2025 at 12:48 AM
ECT Patients Not Asked About Causes of Their Problems | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...