ECT – Electricity Versus the Brain

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

ECT and Memory Loss

In the late 1940s and early ‘50s, the heyday of electroshock, memory loss induced by ECT was considered to be its therapeutic effect. The distressed subjects conveniently forgot what was upsetting them, such as war traumas, child abuse, rape, betrayal, or family violence. [Janis, 1948] When electroshock made a comeback, it needed a new PR image, helped immensely by the administration of … Read more