My name is Margaret Nunley, I live at 2113 West 10th Street, Austin Texas. I would like to share my experiences with Electroconvulsive shock treatment at the hands of a psychiatrist when I was a young girl. I feel that ECT is a horrible, traumatic thing to do to anyone, and it should not be allowed to be done to people. I feel that ECT has depleted my innate abilities, and overshadowed my life with fear, and mistrust.


When I was 14 or 15 years old, in about 1956, I freaked out in my chemistry class, and started crying for no reason, so my parents took me to the family doctor, Dr. Weaver of Coleman, Texas. Dr. Weaver didn’t ask me any questions, or examine me physically. He referred my parents to Dr. Winkleman, a psychiatrist, of San Angelo, Texas. I was taken to a nursing home in San Angelo to stay. I was taken every other day to Dr. Winkleman’s office for Electroconvulsive shock treatment for an entire summer. I was given sodium pentathol shots by his anesthesiologist each time, and would later wake up in a recovery room. I would usually wake up alone, and be terrified, and real confused. It was just a horrible experience, which kept happening over and over. I wouldn’t then be able to remember anything. Nobody ever talked to me or told me why it was being done, I got the idea that I was being punished, and that the idea was to torture me into better behavior. After I got out, there hasn’t been a day that I haven’t thought about it, and felt the terror of the possibility of that happening again.


I now have a lack of self confidence, and terror and distrust of people, especially doctors and authority figures. I can’t even talk to people like teachers and preachers, or any kind of person like that. I can’t remember people’s names, and I can’t remember what I’m supposed to be doing a lot of times, and can’t remember sometimes what I was doing after I started a task. I have difficulty reading, and spelling, and remembering words. Despite the fact I have a degree in Sociology from North Texas State University, I have been unable to hold a job in that field because of my disabilities. It took me 11 years to graduate from college because of the difficulties from the trauma, the mistrust, and so forth.


I later developed a drinking problem which lasted about 30 years, because of my inability to confront the terror of the treatments. I couldn’t develop ways to cope, because I couldn’t receive counsel from people as I didn’t trust them, and I was forced to continue to resort to drinking. I have suffered in relationships, because I have a hard time relating to people, and have trouble holding jobs. I have not been able to enjoy reading, and have been limited in employment possibilities because of my inability to read. I have not done a lot of things in life, because of my fear, and lack of trust.


I feel I have been deprived of a normal, happy, productive life because of these treatments, and the disabilities they left me with. I would like to encourage legislation against ECT being administered to anyone ever again. I can’t possibly see the benefit anyone could ever get from this treatment.
I affirm this is true to the best of my ability.


Margaret Nunley
2113 West 10th Street
Austin, Texas