Is Electroconvulsive Therapy Getting a New Image?

This controversial therapy is more widely used than ever, but its troubling consequences remain

Electroconvulsive therapy presents a unique challenge: It can seem to provide real benefits, but those benefits may be the result of brain damage.Branislav Nenin/Shutterstock

There are few psychiatric therapies that are as controversial as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) which sends pulses of electric currents through the brain to intentionally cause a seizure. Few people would expect it to make a comeback.

Intended to treat severe and treatment-resistant depression, severe mania, catatonia, and dementia-associated agitation and aggression, ECT is usually conducted two to three times per week for three to four weeks. It’s a treatment, not a “cure.”