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ECT

ECT

7 7.0
A medical treatment that sends a strong electric shock to the brain to treat severe depression
  • noun
  • /ˌiːsiːˈtiː/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ECT
  • The last therapy, after you have exhausted all others, is Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT).
  • electroconvulsive therapy
  • ECT treatment
  • ECT session

He'd been suicidal, had suicide attempts, he had ECT.

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Examples

  • I think you should consider ECT.

  • In Scotland, the figures for ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) given to women are twice those of ECT given to men.

    Blog text (8)
  • No one would ever use ECT on a child.

  • But ECT could help you.

  • Women get ECT in Scotland twice as much as men.

    Blog text (8)
  • We've had excellent results with ECT in the past.

  • I'm going to try some ECT on Patrick to see if I can shock some response out of him.

  • P.S. If you're interested in ECT, have a look at my blog.

    Blog text (26)
  • The SEAN report also mentions that 35% of all patients were given ECT without being capable of giving consent (p. 7).

    Blog text (8)
  • After several sessions of ECT, the patient felt a significant improvement in their mood.

Synonyms

electroshock
vsECT
  • Specialized
16 7.5

A medical treatment that uses a strong electric current through the brain to cause seizures to treat serious mental illness

is presented as a structured medical treatment for mental illness
shock therapy
vsECT
  • Specialized
8 5.1

A treatment that uses electric shocks to treat severe mental illness

is limited to treatments that use only electric currents
electroshock therapy
vsECT
  • Specialized
6 5.1

A medical treatment that uses a strong electric current through the brain to treat serious mental illness

is described mainly for use in treating psychiatric disorders
electroconvulsive therapy
vsECT
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A medical treatment using brief electric shocks to the brain to reduce severe depression symptoms

is the same treatment but often called by a short technical label
electro
vsECT
  • Informal
1 8.9

A medical treatment that sends small electric pulses to the brain for severe depression or other serious mental illness

is the same procedure but referred to in formal clinical language

Surface Forms

ECT singular
ECTs plural

Etymology

ECT stands for electroconvulsive therapy, built from electro- ('electricity') and -therapy ('treatment'), and it was once called electroshock. That's a clear memory hook: the name literally describes a medical treatment that uses a small electric 'shock' to the brain to help some people with very severe depression.