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shock therapy

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shock therapy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

(not in technical use) any of various therapies, as insulin shock therapy or electroconvulsive therapy, that induce convulsions or unconsciousness, used for symptomatic relief in certain mental disorders.

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RELATED WORDS

ECT, EST, electrotherapy, psychosurgery

Nearby words

  1. shock absorber,
  2. shock front,
  3. shock jock,
  4. shock lung,
  5. shock radio,
  6. shock treatment,
  7. shock troops,
  8. shock tube,
  9. shock wave,
  10. shock-horror

Origin of shock therapy

First recorded in 1935–40
Also called shock treatment.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for shock therapy

shock therapy

shock treatment

noun

the treatment of certain psychotic conditions by injecting drugs or by passing an electric current through the brain (electroconvulsive therapy) to produce convulsions or coma
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
Medicine definitions for shock therapy

shock therapy

n.

Any of various treatments for mental disorders, such as major depression or schizophrenia, in which a convulsion or brief coma is induced by administering a drug or passing an electric current through the brain.shock treatment
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Culture definitions for shock therapy

shock therapy

The treatment of a mentally ill person by passing electric shocks through the brain.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.