electroconvulsive therapy n the treatment of mental disorder and esp. depression by the application of electric current to the head of a usu. anesthetized patient that induces unconsciousness and convulsive seizures in the brain abbr. ECT called also electric shock, electric shock therapy, electroshock therapy
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a treatment for severe depression and occasionally for schizophrenia and mania. A convulsion is produced by passing an electric current through the brain. The convulsion is modified by giving a muscle relaxant drug and an anaesthetic, so that in fact only a few muscle twitches are produced. The means by which ECT acts is not yet known. The procedure can also produce confusion, loss of memory, and headache, which almost always pass off within a few hours. These side-effects are reduced by unilateral treatment, in which the current is passed only through the nondominant hemisphere of the brain.
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(ECT) a treatment for mental disorders, primarily depression, in which a seizure in the brain is induced by application of a brief pulse of low-voltage alternating current to the brain via scalp electrodes. A general anesthetic and a muscle relaxant, generally succinylcholine, are used to prevent injury during the seizure. Awakening usually occurs within 5 to 10 minutes and may be followed by a temporary confusional state; transient memory impairment may be present for weeks to as much as a year after treatment. ECT produces a therapeutic response in a majority of cases of major depression.Medical dictionary. 2011.