The BBC reports details of a barbaric therapy which took place in the UK between 1965 and 1973, more than 250 people (although this figure is potentially closer to 1000) were subjected to Electric Shock Aversion Therapy (ESAT) in NHS hospitals in an attempt to change their sexuality or gender identity. Three survivors have shared their experiences as teenagers undergoing this treatment.

ESAT was a form of conversion practice based on classical conditioning principles - patients were strapped to chairs, shown images of people of the same sex, and given painful electric shocks for up to an hour at a time. The intention was to create an association between same-sex attraction and pain.

Survivor Jeremy Gavins, now 72, described shocks so severe that he lost consciousness for three days. Pauline Collier, 80, recalled having approximately 20 sessions with around 12 shocks each, describing the anticipation as leaving her ‘very anxious and very frightened’. Many were referred for what they were told was ‘therapy’ by teachers, priests, or GPs, and some say they didn't give informed consent or were told not to tell their parents.

The largest known trial took place at Crumpsall Hospital in Manchester, where 73 people were treated. Recent research conducted by Professor Hel Spandler, a leading historian of psychiatry and LGBT+ health, suggests ESAT practice was far more widespread than previously documented. Individual doctors and hospitals were quietly using the method independently across the UK, often without formal documentation, which is why many treatments were never officially recorded.

Lord Chris Smith, the UK's first openly gay MP, has called for a formal government apology. While NHS England pledged to stop conversion therapy in 2017, conversion practices remain legal in the UK. Following this BBC investigation, the government has confirmed it will investigate the historical use of ESAT in the NHS.

Read the original news article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/art... (accessed 8.12.25)

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS!

1. Using your knowledge of classical conditioning, explain how Electric Shock Aversion Therapy was intended to work. In your answer, identify the unconditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, conditioned stimulus, and conditioned response.
2. Informed consent was not given by the individuals who received the Electric Shock Aversion Therapy. Why is informed consent an important part of ethical research?
3. Outline at least one other ethical issue raised by the Electric Shock Aversion Therapy described in this article.
4. Why could a news report of this kind be seen as ‘socially sensitive’?