The Supreme Court of Victoria delivered a landmark ruling late last year that a state tribunal had violated two patients’ human rights when it forced them to undergo electroconvulsive therapy for schizophrenia.

Eighty years on from when the controversial treatment was first performed, it continues to make headlines amid claims that it is archaic and raises issues about informed consent.

The BMJ recently published a debate among clinicians about whether it was time to retire electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

According to Professor John Read, professor of clinical psychology at the University of East London, and Sue Cunliffe, who formerly underwent ECT as a patient, the therapy is outdated and the evidence base to support its continued use threadbare.