electroconvulsive therapy

noun

: electroshock therapy

Examples of electroconvulsive therapy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web More than 20 medications, by his count, hadn’t helped him in any durable way; neither had electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or ketamine infusions. —

Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2023 Another recent study of 365 patients, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that ketamine’s effectiveness was comparable to electroconvulsive therapy for people with treatment-resistant major depression. —

Emily Maloney, STAT, 7 Sep. 2023 In some circumstances, a clinician might recommend electroconvulsive therapy. —

Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023 Currently, electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, is the quickest and most effective pathway for such patients. —

Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 May 2023 Hospitalized this time in the state capital of Madison, 60 miles away, Mr. Statz underwent electroconvulsive therapy. —

Elizabeth Williamson, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2023 These subjects, says Calhoun, were more likely to respond to treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), a treatment generally reserved for those with depression that is unresponsive to less invasive therapies. —

Hannah Thomasy, Discover Magazine, 6 Dec. 2021 Doctors in Italy first used electroconvulsive therapy in 1938 to treat schizophrenia; in the decades that followed, the treatment spread to other countries and other disorders, especially depression. —

Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 24 Oct. 2012 Perhaps the clearest predecessor to today’s technology is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which in a rudimentary and dangerous way began being used on patients with depression roughly 100 years ago, said Nolan Williams, director of the Brain Stimulation Lab at Stanford University. —

Isabella Cueto, STAT, 14 Jan. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'electroconvulsive therapy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of electroconvulsive therapy was in 1943

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Dictionary Entries Near electroconvulsive therapy

electroconvulsive

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electrocorticogram

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Cite this Entry

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“Electroconvulsive therapy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/electroconvulsive%20therapy. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.

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Medical Definition

electroconvulsive therapy

noun

: the treatment of mental illness and especially depression by the application of electric current to the head of a usually anesthetized patient that induces unconsciousness and convulsive seizures in the brain

—abbreviation ECT

called also electric shock, electric shock therapy, electroshock therapy