electroconvulsive therapy

[ ih-lek-troh-kuhn-vuhl-siv, ih-lek- ]

/ ɪˈlɛk troʊ kənˈvʌl sɪv, ɪˌlɛk- /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for electroconvulsive therapy on Thesaurus.com

noun Psychiatry.

a treatment for serious mental illnesses, as severe depressive disorders, involving the application to the head of electric current in order to induce a seizure: usually administered after sedatives and muscle relaxants. Abbreviation: ECT

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also called electroshock.

Compare shock therapy.

Origin of electroconvulsive therapy

First recorded in 1945–50; electro- + convulsive

Words nearby electroconvulsive therapy

electrocochleogram, electrocochleography, electroconductive, electrocontractility, electroconvulsive, electroconvulsive therapy, electrocorticogram, electrocorticography, electrocratic, electrocute, electrocyte

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use electroconvulsive therapy in a sentence

Nothing she had tried to treat it, including electroconvulsive therapy, had helped.
This woman’s brain implant zaps her with electricity when it senses she’s getting depressed|Charlotte Jee|October 4, 2021|MIT Technology Review
So, we said, “All right, we’re gonna give it not once, but we’re gonna give it on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule, just like we’d give electroconvulsive therapy for severe depression, for a couple of weeks and see how they do.”
How Are Psychedelics and Other Party Drugs Changing Psychiatry? (Ep. 433)|Stephen J. Dubner|October 1, 2020|Freakonomics
Though tissues are present and tears are not uncommon, the Dinner Parties are distinctly not grief counseling or group therapy.
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone|Samantha Levine|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I return home after several days in the hospital and start thrice weekly physical therapy.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder|Carrie Arnold|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The campaign included a push for the World Health Organization to condemn gay-conversion therapy.
China’s Electroshock Gay-Conversion Case|Nina Strochlic|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Collaborating with him on a film was the best kind of therapy I could have asked for.
Blogger Shares and Shames Cancer in ‘Lily’|Amy Grantham|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And for those seeking a quick fix: Studies show that light therapy can spur a mood lift in just several days.
9 Ways to Cope With Seasonal Affective Disorder|DailyBurn|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In serum therapy antitoxins are artificially excited into being in the blood of beasts.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
Thus far we have considered only the scientific aspects of amorphous phosphorus therapy.
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2|Various
The first who wrote upon the therapy of cinchona was Barba, a Spanish physician, whose work was printed in Seville in 1642.
An Epitome of the History of Medicine|Roswell Park
In them we have every phase of modern therapy that has the strong element of suggestion in it.
Psychotherapy|James J. Walsh
In every department of therapy this has always been done by enthusiasts.
Psychotherapy|James J. Walsh

British Dictionary definitions for electroconvulsive therapy

electroconvulsive therapy

/ (ɪˌlɛktrəʊkənˈvʌlsɪv) /

noun

med the treatment of certain psychotic conditions by passing an electric current through the brain to induce coma or convulsionsAbbreviation: ECT Also called: electroshock therapy See also shock 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

Medical definitions for electroconvulsive therapy

electroconvulsive therapy

Administration of electric current to the brain through electrodes placed on the head, usually near the temples, in order to induce unconsciousness and brief convulsions. Used in the treatment of certain mental disorders, especially acute depression.electroshock electroshock therapy

Scientific definitions for electroconvulsive therapy

electroconvulsive therapy

[ ĭ-lĕk′trō-kən-vŭl′sĭv ]

Administration of electric current to the brain through electrodes placed on the head, usually near the temples, in order to induce unconsciousness and brief seizures. It is used in the treatment of certain psychiatric disorders, especially severe depression.

electroconvulsive therapy

Origin of electroconvulsive therapy

Words nearby electroconvulsive therapy

Words related to electroconvulsive therapy

How to use electroconvulsive therapy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for electroconvulsive therapy

Medical definitions for electroconvulsive therapy

Scientific definitions for electroconvulsive therapy