electroshock therapy

British  

/ ɪˈlɛktrəʊˌʃɒk /

noun

1. another name for electroconvulsive therapy

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electroshock therapy Cultural  

1. The passing of an electric current (see also current) through the brain to induce a brief seizure. This therapy is still used to treat major depression when other methods, such as drugs, are ineffective or not well tolerated by the recipient.

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Although this treatment has been controversial, the careful use of anesthetics and muscle relaxers in combination with a more controlled use of a lower electric current has reduced the problems that were associated with it in the past.

Example Sentences

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electroshock therapy

Los Angeles and Tucson, Ariz. Despite many close friendships, especially with women, he was at heart a loner, conditioned, possibly, by clinical depression, for which he sought electroshock therapy even though it addled his brain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026

He went through many rounds of early ECT practices, which were then known as electroshock therapy.

From Slate ● Dec. 21, 2022

Merini’s memory started to falter, most likely a result of the electroshock therapy she had received, and her three youngest daughters were sent away to be raised by others.

From New York Times ● Aug. 5, 2022

Doctors diagnosed him with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, leading him to receive electroshock therapy, before he was treated for an arteriovenous malformation in his brain.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 2, 2021

The physician also agreed to refrain from giving him electroshock therapy, a commonly used treatment for mental conditions in Canadian hospitals at that time.

From How and When to Be Your Own Doctor by Steve Solomon