Federal appeals court vacates FDA rule banning electric shock devices to treat self-harming behavior
Posted: Jul 17, 2021 1:01 AM
Updated: Jul 17, 2021 1:01 AM
Posted By: By Ganesh Setty, CNN
A Massachusetts school for individuals with severe behavioral issues and intellectual disabilities can continue to use electric shock devices to stop students from harming themselves and others, a federal court ruled earlier this month, after the US Food and Drug Administration sought to ban such usage in 2020.
The case surrounds the rarely administered and highly controversial use of electric stimulation devices (ESDs) to treat individuals who put themselves, and sometimes others, at severe risk of injury. The FDA and critics have said the risks outweigh the benefits, while proponents, including students parents, say the practice is a court-approved, medically sound last resort with no viable alternative.