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electroconvulsive therapy

[ ih-lek-troh-kuhn-vuhl-siv, ih-lek- ]
/ ɪˈlɛk troʊ kənˈvʌl sɪv, ɪˌlɛk- /
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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
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Also called electroshock.
Compare shock therapy.

Origin of electroconvulsive therapy

First recorded in 1945–50; electro- + convulsive
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use electroconvulsive therapy in a sentence

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

Scientific definitions for electroconvulsive therapy

electroconvulsive therapy
[ ĭ-lĕk′trō-kən-vŭlsĭv ]

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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