profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read
@profjohnread.bsky.social
450 followers 320 following 65 posts
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”
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profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · Aug 11
First paper from our international ECT survey just out.

On all 5 efficacy measures most recipients, and most relatives, reported it either made no difference or made things worse. Some were helped though.

Thanks to all 1,144 who completed the survey.

dx.doi.org/10.1111/inm....
A Survey of 1144 ECT Recipients, Family Members and Friends: Does ECT Work?
The last placebo-controlled ECT trial for depression occurred in 1985. While awaiting trials that meet today's standards of evidence-based medicine, this paper presents the responses, to an online su...
dx.doi.org
3 3
profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · 5d
A timely reminder?
Cognitive Dissonance, Collective Trauma, and the Middle East | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
Cognitive Dissonance, Collective Trauma, and the Middle East
Considering cognitive dissonance and intergenerational trauma may help avoid one-sided responses to the tragedy in the Middle East.
www.psychologytoday.com
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profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · 14d
“I Can’t Remember a Single Day”: New Survey Shows Disastrous Memory Effects of ECT - Mad In America www.madinamerica.com/2025/09/i-ca...
“I Can’t Remember a Single Day”: New Survey Shows Disastrous Memory Effects of ECT
114 people told us they lost vital memories from before ECT, like getting married, birthdays, and family events.
www.madinamerica.com
1 4
profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · 14d
“I Can’t Remember a Single Day”: New Survey Shows Disastrous Memory Effects of ECT - Mad In America www.madinamerica.com/2025/09/i-ca...
“I Can’t Remember a Single Day”: New Survey Shows Disastrous Memory Effects of ECT
114 people told us they lost vital memories from before ECT, like getting married, birthdays, and family events.
www.madinamerica.com
1 4
profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · 14d
Survey Finds Most ECT Patients Suffer Long-term Memory Loss | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/ca/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
1 5
profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · 15d
Survey Finds Most ECT patients Suffer Long-term Memory Loss | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/psyc...
Log in | Psychology Today United Kingdom
www.psychologytoday.com
1
profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · Sep 5
80 Years On, Do We Know If Electroconvulsive Therapy Works? | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
80 Years On, Do We Know If Electroconvulsive Therapy Works?
My first contact with ECT was in 1973 on a Bronx psychiatric ward, where I worked as a naïve nursing aide. I ended up throwing up in the car park.
www.psychologytoday.com
2
Reposted by Professor John Read
samoskal.bsky.social
Steve Moskal @samoskal.bsky.social · Aug 17
“…."Our international survey, the largest ever conducted, seems to confirm audits of ECT leaflets, in Australia and the U.K., which found that the principle of informed consent is being consistently breached," the group wrote in the Journal of Medical Ethics…” #biorisks
profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · Aug 17
Electroconvulsive Therapy Patients Often Not Fully Informed of Risks, Study Suggests www.medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/g...
Electroconvulsive Therapy Patients Often Not Fully Informed of Risks, Study Suggests
Researchers question whether principle of informed consent is being breached
www.medpagetoday.com
3 2
profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · Aug 17
Electroconvulsive Therapy Patients Often Not Fully Informed of Risks, Study Suggests www.medpagetoday.com/psychiatry/g...
Electroconvulsive Therapy Patients Often Not Fully Informed of Risks, Study Suggests
Researchers question whether principle of informed consent is being breached
www.medpagetoday.com
2 5
profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · Aug 17
ECT: New Studies Detail Harms, Lack of Efficacy, Lack of Informed Consent - Mad In America www.madinamerica.com/2025/08/ect-...
ECT: New Studies Detail Harms, Lack of Efficacy, Lack of Informed Consent
Evidence from a huge survey of what people who have received ECT really think about what they were told, and about how ECT affected them.
www.madinamerica.com
3 4
profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · Aug 17
Medical pros of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) exaggerated while cons downplayed, survey findings suggest | EurekAlert! www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
Medical pros of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) exaggerated while cons downplayed, survey findings suggest
The medical pros of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are being exaggerated while the risks are being downplayed, suggest the findings of a survey on the type of information patients and their relatives...
www.eurekalert.org
2 2
profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · Aug 16
ECT: New Studies Detail Harms, Lack of Efficacy, Lack of Informed Consent - Mad In America www.madinamerica.com/2025/08/ect-...
ECT: New Studies Detail Harms, Lack of Efficacy, Lack of Informed Consent
Evidence from a huge survey of what people who have received ECT really think about what they were told, and about how ECT affected them.
www.madinamerica.com
1 2
profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · Aug 15
Medical pros of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) exaggerated while cons downplayed, survey findings suggest | EurekAlert! www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
Medical pros of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) exaggerated while cons downplayed, survey findings suggest
The medical pros of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) are being exaggerated while the risks are being downplayed, suggest the findings of a survey on the type of information patients and their relatives...
www.eurekalert.org
1 1
profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · Aug 12
Article about our international ECT survey
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/022a099...
Electric shock therapy ‘ineffective and can erase memories’
Study finds majority of patients polled say medical procedure made their quality of life worse
www.telegraph.co.uk
3 4
profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · Aug 12
A Survey of 1144 ECT Recipients, Family Members and Friends: Does ECT Work? - Read - 2025 - International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
A Survey of 1144 ECT Recipients, Family Members and Friends: Does ECT Work?
The last placebo-controlled ECT trial for depression occurred in 1985. While awaiting trials that meet today's standards of evidence-based medicine, this paper presents the responses, to an online su....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
1 1
profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · Aug 11
A Survey of 1144 ECT Recipients, Family Members and Friends: Does ECT Work? - Read - 2025 - International Journal of Mental Health Nursing - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
A Survey of 1144 ECT Recipients, Family Members and Friends: Does ECT Work?
The last placebo-controlled ECT trial for depression occurred in 1985. While awaiting trials that meet today's standards of evidence-based medicine, this paper presents the responses, to an online su...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
1
profjohnread.bsky.social
Professor John Read @profjohnread.bsky.social · Aug 11
First paper from our international ECT survey just out.

On all 5 efficacy measures most recipients, and most relatives, reported it either made no difference or made things worse. Some were helped though.

Thanks to all 1,144 who completed the survey.

dx.doi.org/10.1111/inm....
A Survey of 1144 ECT Recipients, Family Members and Friends: Does ECT Work?
The last placebo-controlled ECT trial for depression occurred in 1985. While awaiting trials that meet today's standards of evidence-based medicine, this paper presents the responses, to an online su...
dx.doi.org
3 3
Reposted by Professor John Read
joannamoncrieff.bsky.social
Joanna Moncrieff @joannamoncrieff.bsky.social · Mar 28
This is what they are called, but there is no proof of neurological mechanisms for these conditions
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Reposted by Professor John Read
joannamoncrieff.bsky.social
Joanna Moncrieff @joannamoncrieff.bsky.social · Mar 23
What we call mental health conditions do not have established neurobiological causes unless you include dementia or learning disability
1 1 2
Reposted by Professor John Read
ploederl.bsky.social
Martin Plöderl @ploederl.bsky.social · Aug 3
It's of course just human to forget about having a few conflicts of interest with pharma 😉
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

@joannamoncrieff.bsky.social @markhoro.bsky.social @profjohnread.bsky.social
4 8
Reposted by Professor John Read
ploederl.bsky.social
Martin Plöderl @ploederl.bsky.social · Aug 2
Excellent summary of the ongoing controversy about antidepressant withdrawal issues by @joannamoncrieff.bsky.social

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/chem...
Antidepressant Withdrawal: Nothing to Worry About?
Recent reviews claim antidepressant withdrawal is clinically insignificant, but they are based on flawed and short-term studies. Minimizing withdrawal problems is worrying.
www.psychologytoday.com
4 7
Reposted by Professor John Read
ploederl.bsky.social
Martin Plöderl @ploederl.bsky.social · Aug 2
Polypharmacy is a huge issue in psychiatric care. I see it too often, mostly as expression of helplessness. Adding more meds is a common reaction, considering iatrogenic harms of (poly)meds less so.
www.wsj.com/health/healt...
‘Combat Cocktail’: How America Overmedicates Veterans
To treat PTSD, the Department of Veterans Affairs put hundreds of thousands of patients on multiple streams of powerful drugs that put them at risk of suicide.
www.wsj.com
1 4 7
Reposted by Professor John Read
ploederl.bsky.social
Martin Plöderl @ploederl.bsky.social · Aug 2
1. This is an incredibly important paper and I retweet the thread again for two reasons. First, simply because it is such a good paper. Second, because it is necessary to judge the true efficacy of antidepressants (ADs) for other applications beyond depression, not covered in this paper.
ploederl.bsky.social
Martin Plöderl @ploederl.bsky.social · Oct 9
1. Antidepressants/-psychotics "appears substantially more effective when the trial is sponsored by that drug’s manufacturer, compared with the same drug tested against the same combination of drugs but without sponsorship."
Relates to novelty-bias, too...
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Reposted by Professor John Read
amazzonefuriosa.bsky.social
AmazzoneFuriosa 🦋 🇺🇦 @amazzonefuriosa.bsky.social · Aug 2
"Maybe admitting that a widely used treatment, like antidepressants, has messed up thousands of lives is too much to contemplate" #pharmsky #medsky #madsky
ploederl.bsky.social
Martin Plöderl @ploederl.bsky.social · Aug 2
Excellent summary of the ongoing controversy about antidepressant withdrawal issues by @joannamoncrieff.bsky.social

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/chem...
Antidepressant Withdrawal: Nothing to Worry About?
Recent reviews claim antidepressant withdrawal is clinically insignificant, but they are based on flawed and short-term studies. Minimizing withdrawal problems is worrying.
www.psychologytoday.com
4 3
Reposted by Professor John Read
neurograce.bsky.social
Grace Lindsay @neurograce.bsky.social · Feb 27
Attended the Union of Concerned Scientist's webinar about protecting scientists engaged in advocacy and I think the most important message was: The more people who do it, the safer we all are.

See the list of resources they shared below. Carry your weight and let others carry you!
ucs-documents.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
3 67 160
Reposted by Professor John Read
joannamoncrieff.bsky.social
Joanna Moncrieff @joannamoncrieff.bsky.social · Mar 19
He isn't disputing that their suffering is real 'It's our
response that's the issue. We routinely
pathologise, label and medicate kids' emotions and behaviours'. New book by Sami Timimi out tomorrow www.thetimes.com/article/f5b1...
‘Diagnosing a child with autism or ADHD? There’s a lot of money to be made’
By medicalising normal behaviour we’re damaging the young’s wellbeing, Dr Sami Timimi tells Anna Maxted
www.thetimes.com
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