Mecta
Encyclopedia
Mecta is an American
corporation in Portland
, Oregon
, that makes and sells electroconvulsive therapy
(ECT) machines.
Expert on ECT Dr. Harold A. Sackeim
has been a consultant for Mecta since the mid-1980s.
After Dr. Blachley died in 1977, the Mecta corporation went bankrupt and was purchased by Gorham and Robin Nicol.
The trial court refused to certify a class action suit since the class was overly broad.
In 1989 Imogene Rohovit sued Mecta alleging that her ECT treatment had caused her brain damage
. The judge found against Mecta, which then offered a settlement of $105,000.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
corporation in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, that makes and sells electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy , formerly known as electroshock, is a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in anesthetized patients for therapeutic effect. Its mode of action is unknown...
(ECT) machines.
History
The Mecta ECT machine was developed at Oregon Health Sciences University in 1973 by Dr. Paul Blachley, for the treatment of major depression unresponsive to pharmaceuticals.Expert on ECT Dr. Harold A. Sackeim
Harold A. Sackeim
Dr. Harold A. Sackeim is an American psychologist and proponent of electroconvulsive therapy, . He has been chief of the department of biological psychiatry at New York State Psychiatric Institute and professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University...
has been a consultant for Mecta since the mid-1980s.
After Dr. Blachley died in 1977, the Mecta corporation went bankrupt and was purchased by Gorham and Robin Nicol.
Lawsuits
Akkerman v. Mecta was filed in Ventura County, in June 2007. Atze Akkerman alleged deceptive advertising on the part of Mecta, saying that he had not been informed that his memory loss from ECT would be permanent, and his doctor had assured him otherwise based on material that came from Mecta.The trial court refused to certify a class action suit since the class was overly broad.
In 1989 Imogene Rohovit sued Mecta alleging that her ECT treatment had caused her brain damage
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
. The judge found against Mecta, which then offered a settlement of $105,000.
Further reading
- Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Programmed Text by John L. Beyer, Richard D. Weiner, and Mark D. Glenn, (1998) published by American Psychiatric Press