ECT

¹ American

abbreviation

electroconvulsive therapy.

ect- ² American

variant of ecto- before a vowel.

ectal.

ECT British

abbreviation

electroconvulsive therapy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

NHS Lothian said it was considering the use of intravenous ketamine as an alternative to ECT, but no decision had been made.

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2025

It would be offered to patients with the most hard-to-treat depression, as an alternative to ECT.

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2025

More than half of those given ketamine showed improvement, compared with about 41% for those receiving ECT.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2023

While generally safe and effective, ECT does have drawbacks, including temporary confusion and cognitive impairment.

From Science Daily • Nov. 16, 2023

Cerletti, along with his assistant Lucino Bini and others, administered ECT for the first time in April 1938 to a patient with schizophrenia.

From Salon • Sep. 4, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023