Freedom thereafter continued to expose psychiatric abuses at Townsville Hospital in the northern state of Queensland. In practices frighteningly similar to Bailey’s deep sleep treatments, 65 deaths were attributed to “unlawful and negligent treatment” after the exposés touched off a state investigation.

More recently, Freedom probed the brain-damaging effects of ECT on patients at Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit in New Zealand. The matter was brought before New Zealand’s parliament, which appointed a health select committee to investigate. The committee’s February 13, 2003 report to the New Zealand parliament urged the Auckland government to commission a review of the safety and effectiveness of ECT. As a result, rights were obtained for 95 former patients who, three decades ago, had received electroshock “treatment” to their legs, arms and genitals, often without anaesthetics.

Following the inquiry, the damaging practice was stopped and the Lake Alice “shock ward” was closed. Since 2001, $6.5 million (#3.6 million) in compensation has been paid to dozens of these child victims and the New Zealand government issued a formal apology.