shock treatment
9
5.8
- noun
- /ʃɑk ˈtritmənt/
- Specialized
- Other research has found that SSRI antidepressants and shock treatment, among other factors, restore the hippocampus to a more normal volume.
- electric shock treatment
- give shock treatment
Examples
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The psychiatrist recommended shock treatment for her severe depression.
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The shock treatment was her idea.
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I guess I'll have to give him the shock treatment.
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Her doctor gave her electric shock treatments.
Blog text (20) -
Shock treatment is indicated in a case like hers.
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She's been getting insulin shock treatments...
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They shut him up in a hospital, and after six months of shock treatment and psychopharmacological therapy, he was never quite the same again.
Fiction book (2000) -
They gave my mother shock treatments because she was "manic-depressive," and they wanted to do a lobotomy, but I said no!
Fiction book (2000) -
After several sessions of shock treatment, he began to show signs of improvement.
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Many patients have undergone shock treatment to alleviate their mental health issues.
Synonyms
16
7.5
A medical treatment that uses a strong electric current through the brain to cause seizures to treat serious mental illness
13
5.1
A treatment that uses electric shocks to treat severe mental illness
7
5.1
A medical treatment that uses a strong electric current through the brain to treat serious mental illness
2
6.5
A medical treatment using brief electric shocks to the brain to reduce severe depression symptoms
1
8.9
A medical treatment that sends small electric pulses to the brain for severe depression or other serious mental illness
1
7.1
A medical treatment that uses large doses of insulin to cause seizures and coma, formerly used for serious mental illness
A medical treatment that uses a drug to cause seizures and coma
A medical treatment from the past that gave injections to cause strong seizures to treat mental illness
A medical treatment using Metrazol to cause seizures and coma
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a medical procedure involving electric shocks' is directly derivable from combining 'shock' (an electric reflex/current) with 'treatment' (medical care). This compositional pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Shock treatment comes from a medical practice where doctors give a short electric shock to the head as a treatment for serious mental illness, to change how the brain works. That's why today shock treatment means that 'medical procedure'.