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shock therapy
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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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Also called shock treatment.
Origin of shock therapy
First recorded in 1935–40
Words nearby shock therapy
shockproof, shock radio, shock-resistant, shockstall, shock-test, shock therapy, shock troops, shock tube, shockumentary, shock wave, shod
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use shock therapy in a sentence
It marked the first direct clash with a psychiatric profession that had classified homosexuality as a mental disorder and advised everything from talk therapy to psychologically destructive shock therapy to “cure” homosexuality.
‘Cured’ beautifully chronicles fight for dignity|Khelil Bouarrouj|September 24, 2021|Washington BladeAt the extreme in this genre is ECT, or shock therapy, which induces seizures—and is typically used as a last resort.
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
Cultural definitions for shock therapy
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.