China Ends Shocking Treatment of Addicts
posted Saturday Jul 18, 2009 by Scott Ertz
The Chinese government has put an end to a very controversial program at a clinic where "video game addicts" are subjected to electroshock "therapy." China Daily said it best with this synopsis of the situation, saying:
More than 3,000 young people were tricked or forced into in to the four-month long course. To enroll their children, parents or guardians had to sign a contract acknowledging that they would be given electric shocks of up to 200 milliamperes. The treatment cost 6,000 yuan ($878) per month...
Shocks were given if patients broke any of the center's 86 rules, which included prohibitions on eating chocolate, locking the bathroom door, taking pills before a meal, and sitting in Dr. Yang's chair without permission.
Details of the treatment first became public when former patients wrote about their experiences online.
