KEY POINTS:
The Government says it will accept most recommendations of a select committee which looked into electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) but will not classify it a treatment of last resort.
Parliament's health select committee considered a petition by Dr Helen Smith who called for ECT to be voluntary, and its use with children, pregnant women and the elderly either banned or severely restricted.
The committee recommended that ECT be a last resort treatment.
It made a range of other recommendations ranging from consent issues, regulatory controls on the use of the treatment to the need for better data.
Health Ministry director of mental health Dr David Chaplow said the Government would support the majority of the regulations.
The treatment has been used for over 60 years and Dr Chaplow said a 2003 review found it still had a place.
"While ECT remains a controversial treatment, partly because of a risk of cognitive impairment and in particular memory loss, I do not consider the evidence about risks and side effects to be conclusive and note that new evidence is still emerging," Dr Chaplow said.
"We are concerned that if ECT is made only a treatment of last resort, increased suffering and illness-related morbidity (illness) and even increased mortality may result."
The Health Ministry intended to review the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992.
Under ECT, specialised medical equipment is used to induce an epileptic seizure by passing a small electrical current across the brain.
It is used to treat severe depression and some other mental disorders. Side effects included headaches, muscle aches or soreness, nausea, confusion and memory loss.
Critics condemn its use but the ministry says it is a valuable and sometimes life-saving treatment.
- NZPA
