China bans electro-shock for treating Internet addicts, far too late to help McMurphy
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Jul 14th 2009 9:38PM
posted Jul 14th 2009 9:38PM
It's been a while since the specter of IA has reared it's ugly head 'round here (or maybe we've just learned to accept it) but now it looks like it's back in the news. According to Reuters, the Chinese Ministry of Health has banned electro-shock therapy for the treatment of Internet Addiction after it came to light that a doctor named Yang Yongxin (also known as "Uncle Yang") has wired up as many as 3,000 teenagers in his Internet Addiction Treatment Center at Linyi Mental Hospital. The treatment included the aforementioned electro-shocks as well as psychotropic drugs, at a cost of 5,500 yuan ($805) a month -- cruel and unnecessary, sure, but a small price to pay to get your teenager off of MySpace.
Well i didnt even know they used that in the first place.
So electro-shock is too "cruel and unusual" but forced abortions and execution/organ harvesting vans are ok.....
I guess it's a step in the right direction at least.
Me 2. Goes to show that allot can stay hidden in a country with that large of a population.And that kind of Gov.
If it was not for the fact that China makes all the worlds crap USA and crew would have invaded that place decades ago....
Those people need to kill all in authority there... bad culture.
Korea is next nubbas!!!
China would kick America's ass. I mean seriously.
Micheal is nut
The alleged organ vans are just that, alleged. I wouldn't believe falun gong any more than the government patter, both are agenda based.
As for executions, good ol USA loves a killing. At least the Chinese kill dodgy execs as opposed to giving a 7 digit payout and a seat on the committee.
And we should believe a communist regime???!!!! LMAO!!!
@Matt
Being communist has nothing to do with this. The characteristic that makes the Chinese authorities untrustworthy is authoritarianism.
You *don't remember* they used that. It's different.
FIRST!
You moron, you should be lobotomized too.
Anyway, McMurphy FTW!!! And there goes the frontal lobe...
OFF!
cout
Best two comments in a while here, pczuneman. :)
Awesome still of the movie. What more needs to be said.
Great movie, but the ending was too sad T_T
Blame the book's author for the ending, not the director of the film adaptation.
Kesey's book was brilliant. The movie was also really well done. (Won an oscar, didn't it?)
I loved the part after his first electro-shock therapy session, he acted like he was braindead, but was just pulling everyone's leg :D
I'm just proud it had been directed by a Czech director :)
AWESOME! I am probably the onlyone on Engadget that gets the significance of this article.
EST has been killing millions and destroying lives. It erases memories and leaves people devastated.
cchr.org for more info.
Yes, you sir are the only person reading engadget who even remotely understands the significance... The rest of us are just fapping to the pictures on the site.
Youre the only who sounds like they want a meal for it.
Timm,
Wow, you seem to know a lot about this procedure. So much that you don't even know the name of it. It's electroconvulsive therapy, abbreviated ECT, "EST" is not an abbreviation for electroshock therapy since that term is only a euphemism for electroconvulsive therapy.
If you go to a psychiatric clinic and ask for "EST" you'll probably end up getting ECT. But yeah, thank god you are the only one on this site able to appreciate such a lofty concept!
lol this dude is a scientologist
CCHR is as douche inducing as PETA. Complete FAIL
That is untrue. EST is one of the most effective treatments of severe depression. Is not cruel and does not lead to memory loss. With a qualified anasthesiologist present during the whole procedure which doesnt take more than a few minutes the patient feels nothing. And after only a few treatments significant improvements are made. It is probably the most extreme treatment for depression available, but it is generally used only the most extreme cases. I know this works. It should never be confused with lobotomy which is an entirely different thing.
Is that Merlin Mann or Jack Nicholson?
Jack Nicholson from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
when did Engadget become a licensed Psychiatrist and have any knowledge of EST beyond movies?
Any Psychiatrist who suggests EST as being a good thing, is a fraud, and inhuman.
What does being a licensed Psychiatrist have anything to do with knowing that treatments like this at best, create a pavlovian extinction in behavior, to never have to endure it again. This works as well as trepanning for a headache. t creates more damage than any kind of good.
If you are involved in the field, get to know the families and the people behind the illness.They are mentally ill, but mentally ill PEOPLE. And if you have no knowledge of EST beyond movies and books, explore why so many people are against it.
well i guess you just indicted the entire American Psychiatric Association, the Surgeon General of the US, and British National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence among others.
i am totally okay with calling all those people frauds.
Its torture, not therapy.
period.
America. Fuck yeah.
"I don't want HIS paladin, or HIS warlock, I want MY PALADIN, Nurse Rached!"
It's nurse Ratchet. You know, because she has a ratchet for an arm. Jesus.
ORLY!
Louise Fletcher ... Nurse Ratched
Jesus! dumbass
It is unfair that ANYONE has to grow up in China, that place is terrible. The US gets criticized more for torturing terrorists than China does for torturing innocent teenagers. I wish the UN had the legs to address these types of issues it is really sad...
whaaaaa.....
No one criticizes China because when they do, Beijing only has one answer, "Fuck you, mind your own business".
On the other hand, the US and European countries have self-depricative pity parties whenever someone launches a justified or most often, a false criticism at them.
It's just like back in 4th grade. People pick on us because we react the way they want. If Obama told the critics of the USA, "Fuck you, do something about it." There would be much less negative press about the USA because it would be pointless and people would lose interest when they realize all efforts are fruitless.
Do you get your news from any sources other than liberal sensationalist blogs? Do you realize China is one of the 5 nations that lead the UN? Do you realize that most people in China live relatively peaceful, happy, normal lives in which they are free to fret over trivial shit like whether or not to get that two-tone leather interior--much like yourself?
@Joe When you actually go to China, travel all over the country and witness everyday citizens lives then you can report your findings.
LMAO you obviously haven't been to China. I lived/worked there for 2 years and most people (80%+) live in abject poverty.
I do suppose they don't have to worry about some things though....like self determination or who to vote for.
I love how some people love to come to their own preconceptions without any research or personal investigation.
The reason that the US and UK criticise themselves when allegations of torture or mistreatment arise is because we are free to decide that these practices should not take place in our name. Would you really have your leader deny you this right?
So when a group of parents in China sends their kids to these camps, the whole country is "terrible". But when a group of people join Scientology to be subjected to similar treatments, its just the Scientologists that are loony. All the news here regarding China is reported with a negative edge, and the whole country is always to blame. This is ONE crazy doctor, why is it necessary to denounce the entire country? It must be an ego thing.
At least in China one can walk on the sidewalk without worrying about being shot, the people are hardworking and friendly, and there are no patronizing racist asshats asking me to make an egg roll while they cut me off on my bike in their SUVs, flashing their middle finger.
^^^^^^ You Sir, are Brilliant!!! Love it, perfect depiction of the States. Now, could you please make me an egg roll?
@Matt:Funny thing, that. I remember that's how Bush treated his critics. Now how far has that gotten us? I think we're still recovering from the fallout from that one.
@Joe
Less than 20% of China's population (1.3billion) lives in urban areas, that leaves 80% of China's population rural. 60% China's rural population is living below the poverty line. 60% of 1.3billion is 780million. So, means a population roughly double the size of the US lives in poverty. I wonder how many of them even know what you mean by "two-tone interior".
China leads absolutely nothing when it comes to the UN. They supply less that 3% of the UN's budget compared with the US at 22%, Japan at 17%, UK at 7%. China plays a role similar to that of Mexico when it comes the UN, strong-arming good ideas whenever possible. Next time come strapped with facts before you start sensationalizing your own argument.
@bigcow05
"Chinese President Hu Jintao, who returned home to deal with an outbreak of ethnic violence."
- 140 Chinese people were killed July 10th after an ethnic battle broke out in Urumqi.
Just like Joe clearly don't understand what kind of fear the people of China live in everyday. Maybe they won't get shot (Tiananmen Square) but they surely have a high probability of being beaten or clubbed to death.
@chrisdaltas:
Well you sort of proved my point. All the talk about Uilghurs being attacked by Chinese soldiers and 156 dead in the recent riots, very few news sources actually mention that 140 of the dead were Han Chinese. Instead, this fact is included at the very bottom of articles, or not mentioned at all at an attempt to make the reader believe that all or most of the dead were Uilghurs, and that the aggressors were the Chinese government.
There is a very low crime rate in China, especially in metro areas.
http://www.abcarticledirectory.com/Article/China-s-Crime-Rate/71537
You don't need to tell me what it is like to live there, I have lived there for years. Most people don't live in fear of a government that has pulled hundreds of millions out of poverty and provided the country with modern infrastructure and educations standards, they live in spite of a century of Western exploitation (Opium Wars, Japanese invasion, how the US helped Japan and Korea rebuild their economies after the war while leaving China in abject poverty), revolution (Great Leap Forward) and they want to make sure that their children can grow up in an world where they will have opportunities to pursue their dreams. There are certain classes who have benefited more from the economic expansion, but if the government were democratic, or if there had been a revolution, progress would have been much slower (India, Russia). The Chinese government itself has said that it may change systems once China is more developed. Of course the media here wants to paint a completely different picture (..but a democratic system in which big company lobbyists can dictate policy, bring the whole economy to the ground, and suck it dry while the people suffer is PERFECT! USA! USA!). BTW what do you mean that they have a high chance of being clubbed to death? How high of a chance? And why would they be clubbed?
I knew that it was the Han who were attacked first. But you still don't seem to understand. Why is ANYONE being attacked at all? Why is there such a problem in such a peaceful country?
I'm glad that less than 20% of China benefits from a decent crime rate. However, if you truly lived in China for MANY years then you would know that that is utter bull shit. China absolutely does not report or keep track of all the domestic violence and crime and it never will. China keeps its doors closed for a good reason.
The only time the media gets access is when an uncontrollable event hits the ground before Hu and the other Red Army have time to cover it up.
Everything else you said was too outlandish to even address so I'll let it die just like all the REAL PEOPLE sacrificed to bring China to where it is today economically... you are sick.
No, I know it's not utter bullshit because while in the past year my aunt's friend was killed by a gang because one of their guys was caught by him to be shoplifting at Wal-Mart, and have had a crackhead walk into my apartment and take my stuff, not once during my stay in China have I encountered such craziness. Your claim that its "unfair that anyone has to grow up in China" makes me wonder.
Sure, many people have died in the course of Chinese history at the rule of the Chinese govt. I'm not going to defend the great leap forward and Tiananmen because they were completely reprehensible. Western exploitation, which continues today, has been just as profound to China and many other countries. But I still don't see how it is "unfair that anyone has to grow up in China," especially in the China of today, and especially given in the context of the article in which there children were sent to these camps voluntarily by their parents.
外焦里嫩
and tastes like chicken, smells like teen spirit.
"Ah, Juicy Fruit."
"Well you sly, son of a bitch, Chief!!"
You mean teens still use myspace? I think facebook would be a slightly less antiquated reference.
I interned under an anesthesiologist and I witnessed many, many electroconvlusive therapy sessions.
It's funny that people above are bashing others for not knowing about ECT outside movies and books when they clearly know nothing about it themselves. ECT is completely humane, the patient is sedated and anesthetized during the procedure, the only convulsing that occurs is flexing of the foot which is purposefully allowed to monitor the physical effect. ECT has no more to do with creating a "pavlovian response" to heal deeply pathological behaviors (which is utterly impossible, btw) than orthopedic surgery psychologically conditions a patient to stop having joint pain. Additionally, ECT is only used in extreme cases where other medication has failed, typically reserved to severe depression, bipolar disorder, and schizoaffective disorder.
While it is true that some memory loss can be a side effect, having seen the way this bizarrely effective therapy truly helps people lead fairly normal lives which would be utterly impossible otherwise, this is an acceptable side effect, especially when considering the inevitable side effects of alternative treatments.
The fact that this doctor used ECT on teenage internet addicts, however, in addition to psychotropic drugs is ridiculous. Addiction is not treatable by ECT as far as I know, and even if it were, there is no reason to treat it with anything other than therapy and possibly some (non-psychoactive) medication in extreme cases. Besides, who the hell is trusting a doctor who's nicknamed "Uncle?" That sounds like something George Orwell would have been proud to make up.
"Peculiar??!!!"
I wonder if China still "treat" gay with electro-shock? Or they also bans it now.
I do believe the treatments mentioned here are entirely VOLUNTARY, much like the tap dance lessons you attend each week. So the bashing of China here makes little sense. Plus, isn't it the Chinese gov't that's banning this practice? I know it's a fashionable thing to rip on China, but please at least try to make valid arguments next time.
I can bash China all I want, in about a week more people are going to have died in the Urumqi ethnic conflict than the Iraq and Afgan wars. Can you imagine in a situation in the US where all the Mormans got together in decided to kill all the people in Utah who were not Morman? Because these are the types of things that happen in China.
That depends on what VOLUNTARY means. I doubt the teenagers were the ones volunteering...
Who knows what these parents were actually being told before sending their kids to these treatments. I doubt there was a checklist that looked like this
- Electro Shock Treatment, check
- Psychotropic Drugs, check
- Memory Loss, check
A question to the scientologists in the comments on this article:
Have they made one of those tiny projects out of commenting here? Did they(CCHR) - as with the print article-comments- propose to you what/how much you should comment on this article? Is there an email you could forward to me?
LOL. I for one leave ECT(or in Sciento-Slang EST) to the experts with experience to judge about it's effectiveness. If chinese doctors say they don't need it, I'm ok with it. If it's a political (a.k.a. we dont shock people but make their families pay the bullet we shoot them with) then prolly this decision might have the saddening side effect of some poor souls being incarcerated for the rest of their lives because their therapy is forbidden by law.
CCHR is 100%-Scientology. Don't let yourself be fooled. They make projects out of comment-threads like this. For print-articles it's documented on wikileaks. (leaked emails)
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
Fantastic movie, however lobotomy haunted my dreams and is still one of my worst nightmares. I dont really mind losing a hand or a leg but losing the ability to speak or to control your thoughts, to lose yourself and still be alive, is horrible. I'd rather have a bullet plunging through my gray mass.
ect is not lobotomy. read up.
I see that internet addiction is one of the most popular addictions (at least on that website), as well as many other computer related things... I wonder what their exact treatment includes ...
Woops, forgot to include the link: http://www.beatingaddiction.com/addictions/view.php/10064/Internet