After a lot of effort, I’ve managed to get some statistics from the British Columbia Ministry of Health, and want to share them with researchers, activists and journalists.

Here are the numbers of British Columbians certified (usually meaning they were incarcerated and forcibly treated with drugs or electroshock) under the Mental Health Act in BC from 2002 to 2011, broken down by health regions: BC Forced Treatment Stats. Note that the real numbers are undoubtedly much higher, because certifying someone is a simple procedure of filling out a one-page form, and psychiatrists often need simply threaten to certify someone in order to gain the person’s compliance with confinement and treatment.

And here are the numbers of British Columbians subjected to electro-convulsive therapy (ECT, or electroshock) covering the years 1992-2012: BC ECT rates 1992-2012.

And here are the numbers for ECT in the Vancouver Island Health Authority region, including breakdowns by age and gender: VIHA Summary of ECT Stats by Site.

 

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3 Comments

  1. Steve Paesani June 20, 2014 at 10:29 pm - Reply

    Thanks Rob.
    Can I ask how one would get records from 1973 or so to 1977 or so along with records of the decisors of the policies (though these cn be drived if no such official records exist).
    Also likewise where one is a direct (mother, father, sister brother, son daughter) family member of a patient Thanks.

    • Rob Wipond June 21, 2014 at 1:17 am - Reply

      Hi Steve,

      I’m not clear on exactly what it is you’re looking for, but the website of the BC Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner provides instructions on how to submit freedom of information requests to public or private bodies. There are general requests for records, and then there are requests you can submit for copies of information about yourself. Medical records you would normally contact the medical/health body and apply directly to them for your own medical records. Hope this helps.

  2. Dwight February 1, 2013 at 7:06 am - Reply

    The degradation of our society is manifested in the legalization of corruption. We live in a culture where our police will shoot you for your own safety, where you go to the hospital for dehydration and they extract blood for tests. I am aware of physicians who are as mercenary as the corporate drug dealers that lobby and influence political will. Yet in all this, corruption is not necessarily evil –it is just wrong.

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