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Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology pp 1279–1281Cite as

Electro-Convulsive Therapy

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Definition

Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric treatment involving the use of electrically induced seizures in anesthetized patients for therapeutic purposes. Currently, ECT is most commonly used to treat patients suffering from severe, major depression that has failed to respond to other treatments (Benbow 2004). However, ECT is also used for the treatment of mania in bipolar disorder as well as catatonia (Benbow 2004). Typically, ECT is administered two to three times per week and consists of a regime of 6–12 treatment sessions.

Current Knowledge

Historically, the induction of seizures for therapeutic relief dates as far back as 1785, when it was first documented in the London Medical Journal (Rudorfer et al. 2003). However, it was not until 1937 that electricity was used to invoke seizures in humans (Fink 1984). ECT was subsequently popularized in the 1940s and 1950s as it was inexpensive, convenient, and less invasive than other forms of psychiatric treatment such as...

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References and Reading

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, University of California, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Joel Eppig

  2. Departments of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Psychology, Rowan University, New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, USA

    David J. Libon

Authors
  1. Joel Eppig
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  2. David J. Libon
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Correspondence to David J. Libon .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Jeffrey S. Kreutzer

  2. Kessler Foundation, Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ, USA

    John DeLuca

  3. Independent Practice, Wynnewood, PA, USA

    Bruce Caplan

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Eppig, J., Libon, D.J. (2018). Electro-Convulsive Therapy. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1763

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