State Tribunal Rules That Patient Has Right to Refuse Shock Treatment

March 31, 2025

The Victoria Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) has made a decision in favour of a patient subjected to compulsory electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), with Senior Member G. Nihill not satisfied that the patient, “RVL,” lacked the capacity to give consent to the treatment at the time of the hearing.

The Mental Health Tribunal (MHT), made an order on 23 December 2024 granting an application for 12 treatments of ECT to be performed on RVL up until 11 May 2025. A consultant psychiatrist from Eastern Health, which was also a respondent, attended the hearing.

RVL did not want to have ECT and requested VCAT review the case, and the hearing was also attended by two of her treating psychiatrists….

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