Kenneth Castleman, PhD, Biomedical Engineer

ECT – Electricity Versus the Brain

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Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also known as “shock treatment,” is a procedure in which an electric current is passed through the patient’s head, causing a convulsive seizure. The theory is that violent convulsions can somehow “reset” the brain and relieve the symptoms of mental illness. There is no explanation of how or why this might work, … Read more

The Wall Street Journal Gets It Wrong on ECT

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A June 30, 2019 Wall Street Journal article by Sumathi Reddy entitled “New Thinking Challenges the Stigma Around ‘Shock Therapy’” argues that modern Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is safer now than it was in the past. That article, however, is inaccurate, in view of the science behind ECT. Below are six quotes from the article along … Read more